Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2015

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.,Pending issues of service connection for lumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities remain unresolved.

The Veteran seeks a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities, but further development is needed to assess the impact of these conditions on his employability.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active military service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The claim for a left knee disability, which is also secondary to his right foot disability, remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 30, 2006 for the grant of service connection for tinnitus was denied as there is no unadjudicated formal or informal claim of service connection for tinnitus prior to this date.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active service. Bilateral hearing loss was considered to be a preexisting condition, and there was no evidence of aggravation during service. Tinnitus was also considered a preexisting condition with no evidence of in-service aggravation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including hearing loss, PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and tinnitus, render him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational background.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD. Bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to in-service noise exposure. Tinnitus is considered likely caused by the Veteran's service-connected hearing loss. PTSD is linked to a credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to service for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.,For the throat disorder, the Veteran's in-service complaint was treated as an upper respiratory infection (URI), and there is no indication that he has had any ongoing issues with his throat since service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and the Board finds that they are not related to his military service.

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD and determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (other than PTSD) did not have its onset during service. The VA examiners concluded there was no resulting impairment from in-service stressors, thus denying service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. For bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, the Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were incurred during active military service, with the Board finding that they are as likely as not due to noise exposure during his period of active service.

The Board denied service connection for right and left hearing loss disabilities and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran withdrew the appeals for increased evaluations of lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, right elbow bursitis, tinnitus and right ear hearing loss prior to the promulgation of a decision.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, as there is no evidence of a chronic disease in service or continuity of symptoms after service. The Veteran did not have a compensable degree of hearing loss within one year of separation from service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding no current disability and insufficient evidence to link these conditions to service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be incurred in service, with the Board resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for a traumatic brain injury, a seizure disorder, and tinnitus. The earliest effective date that can be assigned is March 10, 2010.

The Veteran's request for hearings has been addressed, and the case is being remanded due to unresolved issues related to service connection.