Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2016

The Veteran has withdrawn all his appeals, including those for increased ratings and service connection claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of onset during service or within one year thereafter. The current diagnoses are considered to be unrelated to any incident of service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is incurred in military service and granted service connection for this condition. The decision on bilateral hearing loss remains pending as it was not addressed by the RO.

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

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, increased rating for tinnitus, and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss have been denied. The maximum schedular rating of 10% has been assigned for his tinnitus, which is the highest available under Diagnostic Code 6260.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal seeking a rating in excess of 50 percent for anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified (mixed anxiety depressive disorder).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and thus grants TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not etiologically related to his service, including noise exposure during active duty. As a result, the claims for service connection have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a new VA examination to determine the current nature and severity of his bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disability, and PTSD. The TDIU claim is also deferred until other increased rating claims may be resolved.

The Board has determined that there is competent and credible evidence reasonably showing the Veteran's tinnitus began during service and has persisted since, granting service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran has bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus that meet VA criteria for disability. The evidence is relatively balanced regarding whether these conditions are related to noise exposure in service, with some conflicting employer test results.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service.,A current ear infection disability was not shown to be related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and readjudication, including obtaining VA treatment records and SSA disability determination records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus had its onset during active service and has continued since, granting service connection for this condition. The issue of right ear hearing loss is addressed in a separate REMAND portion.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus and granted service connection based on evidence showing that her current tinnitus is related to service.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for prostate cancer and TDIU.

The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, but the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that he incurred hearing loss during service. The decision grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and ensuring the claims file is complete.