Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Board found that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the April 1975 rating decision regarding tinnitus, as well as in denying service connection for defective hearing in the left ear. The Veteran's anxiety disorder is deemed to be related to his service-connected tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they are related to his military service due to exposure to noise during combat.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to include obtaining medical records, scheduling VA examinations, and readjudicating the claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded as the VA examiner did not address whether there is a medically sound basis upon which to attribute the post-service findings to the injury in service, as opposed to intercurrent causes.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and is not otherwise related to his military service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus is linked to his time in active duty.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for left-ear hearing loss was denied in October 1958, but his claim of service connection for tinnitus was granted. The effective date for the award of service connection for tinnitus is set at February 12, 1958.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for left-ear hearing loss was not granted and an earlier effective date is not warranted.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their clinical onset in service or are otherwise related to active duty. As a result, service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal of his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is withdrawn.,The Veteran's tinnitus was not related to his service, and it is not secondary to his service-connected bipolar disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are as likely as not related to his active military service, including exposure to noise during service.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated during service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to allow for additional development and consideration of his claims, including a VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected conditions on his employability.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's appeal is not about service connection and thus does not address any of his claims for service connection. The case must be remanded to schedule a videoconference hearing.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted as it relates to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA ENT examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that current hearing disabilities were not incurred or aggravated in service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and skull fracture residuals, are found to be sufficient for a TDIU due to their combined rating of 70 percent. However, the VA examiner opined that these conditions do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in service and denied his claim for service connection. For bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, the Board determined it is related to service and granted service connection.