Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, specifically exposure to noise during active duty. As a result, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of service connection for a dental condition, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo have been denied as there is no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for a dental condition. The Board also found that his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining his complete service treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, including as secondary to his hearing loss. The VA examiner will be asked to provide opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to a lack of evidence showing an earlier claim was filed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is etiologically related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus began in service and has persisted, granting service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for a VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, tremors, and right knee disability. The Veteran's National Guard service is also being verified.

The Board has found that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his service, and therefore grants service connection for tinnitus. The claim for bilateral hearing loss remains pending as it was not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus and a right leg disability are granted, while the claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. The Board found that service connection could be established for tinnitus due to noise exposure in service, and for a right leg disability as residuals of a broken bone injury in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to his military service, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, specifically noise exposure in service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence did not establish a nexus to service. The criteria for presumptive service connection were not met due to lack of continuity of symptoms within one year after discharge.

The Board has granted service connection for numbness and tingling of the fingertips and both hands (bilateral CTS), finding that it was incurred in service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his in-service noise exposure, as there is no evidence of a chronic disease during service or within one year post-service. The VA examiner determined that the disabilities more likely than not resulted from post-service occupational and recreational noise exposure.

The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are granted service connection. The appeal for an increased rating for prostate cancer residuals is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA audiology examination and issuing a statement of the case regarding his claim for tinnitus.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have had its onset in active service and the Board finds that it is related to his military noise exposure. The hypertension, while not directly linked to PTSD, may be aggravated by PTSD.

The Board has reopened the service connection claims for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, but further development is needed to determine their etiology.