Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Board has granted an effective date of February 20, 2003 for the total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, as evidenced by normal hearing at separation from service. The VA examinations did not provide sufficient rationale for their conclusions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus and Meniere's disease due to inadequate examination reports, lack of in-service noise exposure documentation, and need for clarification regarding when symptoms began.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and skin cancer were denied. The Board found no evidence linking the current conditions to his military service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the issue of service connection for left ear tinnitus.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, both of which are presumed to have resulted from in-service acoustic trauma exposure.

The Veteran is found to be unemployable due to the combined effects of his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD rated at 50 percent. The case is remanded for issuance of an SOC on the issue of entitlement to a higher rating for PTSD.

The Board has determined that the issues of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II; left acoustic neuroma/vestibular schwannoma; coronary artery disease; erectile dysfunction; hypertension; diabetic retinopathy; any other eye disability (other than diabetic retinopathy); dry skin (xerosis); bilateral hearing loss; tinnitus; neuropathy; and a disability manifested by numbness of the hands are not ready for decision due to lack of probative evidence of a nexus to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for further development, including a VA examination and medical nexus opinion regarding his burn scars on the legs and tinnitus.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no evidence to support a link between the claimed conditions and active service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete service records and need for further medical examinations.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or a current disability related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his attempt to reopen a previously denied claim for PTSD. The decision also remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to hazardous noise exposure during active service, warranting service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are likely due to his exposure to hazardous noise levels during service, warranting service connection. The lung cancer claim is remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to properly assess the appellant's hearing loss and tinnitus, as the current examination report does not contain sufficient detail or consider all relevant evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's tinnitus and his service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment, and therefore his claim for TDIU is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated during his active military service and is also against a finding that it is causally related to service, including to excessive noise exposure therein.