Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2015

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is attributable to service, specifically his in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, stomach ulcers, and gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) were denied as there is no current evidence of a ratable disability for any of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequate examination and opinion regarding his hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are denied. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease, and there is no medical opinion linking any current disabilities to service.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The AOJ will obtain any outstanding VA treatment records, give the Veteran another opportunity to provide relevant private medical records, and then adjudicate the claims again.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not originate in service, as there was no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus at separation from service. The VA examiner found it less likely than not that the current hearing loss and tinnitus were caused by noise exposure during military service.

The Board has restored service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but the Veteran's TDIU claim remains pending as severance of service connection was not proper.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have had its origins during his active service and the claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The hearing loss claim remains pending as it has not been addressed in this decision.

The Board has determined that the issue of whether the Veteran should receive a separate rating for residuals of traumatic brain injury as noted in the February 2013 TBI examination report, based on the level of impairment in the facets of cognitive impairment and other residuals of TBI, has been raised by the record. The case is also remanded to return the claims file to the examiner who provided the aid and attendance/housebound opinion in February 2013 or reschedule for another VA examination if feasible.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as his symptoms had their onset during service.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus due to in-service acoustic trauma, but denied service connection for chronic sinusitis as there is no evidence of its onset during military service.

The Board has ordered additional development due to incomplete records, including a temporary claims file that may contain evidence related to the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus claims. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his in-service acoustic trauma and grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's current asthma, right little finger disability, sinus disability, prostate disability, skin disability (other than pseudofolliculitis barbae), and tinnitus are not related to service. The Board granted service connection for tinnitus as it is reasonably shown to have begun in service.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his active service, as the VA examiner concluded that it was more likely due to presbycusis (age-related hearing loss).,However, the Veteran and his spouse have consistently reported continuous tinnitus since active service. The private physician provided a positive nexus opinion linking the Veteran's current tinnitus to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's PTSD renders him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment, and he is granted a TDIU. The earlier effective date for the increased rating of 20% for bilateral hearing loss is set at July 31, 2007.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's vaginal infections during service did not cause her recurrent vaginal infections since separation from service, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current tinnitus was incurred during service. Therefore, service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board finds that the Veteran's hypertension, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The evidence does not indicate a relationship between these conditions and service.