Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral pes planus had an onset in service and is related to his active duty. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that he has current hearing loss or tinnitus as a result of service, but acknowledges noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were incurred in, or caused by, his military service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been reopened. The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus but declined to reopen the claim of hypertension on the merits.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a back disorder, right and left knee disorders, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD. The decision also addressed other issues such as increased ratings for foot disabilities and entitlement to additional compensation benefits for dependent sons.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his noise exposure during active duty.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, as there was no evidence of hearing impairment during or immediately after service. The VA examiner provided a more probative opinion against the claim.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety, bilateral hearing loss, and vertigo. The claim for service connection for anxiety was denied as there is no diagnosed condition separate from his already service-connected cognitive impairment or dementia due to Parkinson's disease. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no currently diagnosed disability. The claim for vertigo remains pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The decision found no evidence of current disabilities related to these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and providing an addendum opinion regarding his hearing loss, tinnitus, and pulmonary disorder.

The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection of left ear tinnitus. The case is now remanded for additional development, including verification of National Guard service and obtaining VA treatment records.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are at least as likely as not caused by in-service noise exposure. Service connection was denied for type II diabetes mellitus due to lack of evidence linking it to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss. The Veteran is not shown to have a current disability of these conditions, with the exception of left ear hearing loss which was found to be less likely related to military noise exposure. Service connection for erectile dysfunction and tinnitus are also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee disability is service-connected, as it was aggravated by his military duties. The hearing loss and tinnitus claims are remanded for additional development.

The Board found that the evidence did not support a grant of service connection for hearing loss or neurologic residuals of jaw fracture. For scars from concussion with occipital scalp laceration, the Board determined that the criteria for a 30 percent rating were met but not higher, and for painful scars from concussion with occipital scalp laceration, the criteria for a 10 percent rating were met but not higher.

The Board is remanding the case to consider the collective impact of all the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss disability, on his disability picture and whether it renders the schedular evaluations inadequate for an extra-schedular rating.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of any hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as to obtain all relevant VA medical records. The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations. However, the Veteran's tinnitus was found to be incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his military service, including noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the failure to provide proper notice of a change in his hearing request. The case will be returned to the Board for further action.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and low back disability as there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service incurrence. The claim for left foot plantar fasciitis was not adjudicated.