Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus, a constant 'screeching' sound, is not related to service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right ankle sprain, and left ankle sprain have been granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need to obtain additional medical records and conduct further examinations. The Veteran's claims for service connection for frostbite, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are pending.

The Board has remanded the claims due to a need for further development, including obtaining additional medical opinions and considering lay testimony regarding continuity of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's tinnitus, hearing loss, right and left knee disability, right and left ankle disability, and a left foot disability are all found to be related to service. The initial rating for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with all reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information about the Veteran's service periods and a need for an opinion regarding whether his current bilateral hearing loss is related to noise exposure during ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA. The claim will be returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary before the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus can be adjudicated.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to his in-service noise exposure. The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to noise exposure.

The Veteran is unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of cold injury with osteoarthritis.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are etiologically related to noise exposure during active military service. Service connection was denied for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and adjudication due to issues regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction and tinnitus, finding that both conditions are secondary to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's hearing loss and joint pain are not related to service, but his tinnitus is related. The Veteran is found unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran. As such, service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to have had their onset during active duty service due to combat noise exposure, warranting service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected comminuted fracture of the left third finger and tinnitus have been rated as 10 percent disabling, but there is no legal basis for an increased rating. The maximum schedular ratings are already assigned.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, arthritis of the hips, arthritis of the knees, a sinus disability, a low back disability, and headaches. The claims are therefore denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, and cerebrovascular accident were denied as there was no confirmed exposure to herbicide agents during service, no in-service injury or disease related to these conditions, and the current disabilities are not causally related to service.