Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions and to ensure all relevant evidence is considered in reaching a decision.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran suffers from bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus incurred or aggravated by service. Therefore, both claims for service connection are granted.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for the Veteran's claimed conditions as there is no evidence of a direct relationship between his active duty service and any current disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, and therefore denied both claims.

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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was within the scope of his earlier claim for hearing loss, and he should be granted an effective date of December 12, 1995.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the onset and relationship of left ear hearing loss and tinnitus to service, specifically periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty training (INACDUTRA).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected PTSD and another VA examination to determine if his bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to his military service. The TDIU claim will also be remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and TDIU, but denied his claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. The case is being remanded to obtain a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to military service or aggravated by PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need to obtain his military personnel records and clarify whether all of his Army National Guard service treatment records are in the file. A VA examination is also needed for these conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, including obtaining service treatment records and VA medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, with no presumption or secondary connection involved.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, the maximum schedular rating.,The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran is granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. He is also granted an effective date of April 29, 2009 for the award of special monthly compensation due to loss of use of a creative organ.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for chronic otitis media has been withdrawn. The Board is dismissing the appeal.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The claims for right ear hearing loss, residuals of an allergic reaction to penicillin, and low back disability are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and allergies have been denied as there is no current disability found in any of these cases.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a new examination. The Veteran's appeal is now pending again with the AOJ.