Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and sinus disorder. This includes obtaining relevant medical records, clarifying dates of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA periods of service, and arranging for appropriate VA examinations.

The Board has received notification from the appellant that he is withdrawing his appeal to reopen claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. As a result, the appeal must be dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding it at least as likely as not that the condition had its onset during active duty. Service connection is denied for back disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for tinnitus to obtain a VA examination and opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to service or his service-connected diabetes.

The Board granted service connection for fibromyalgia/intermittent migratory arthralgia and chronic fatigue syndrome as undiagnosed illnesses of Persian Gulf War origin, but denied the other claims.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus were all granted. The Board found that the Veteran had no diagnosed PTSD related to service or any other in-service stressor. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were both determined to be attributable to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, and bilateral knee disability were denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or in-service injury/illness that could be linked to these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus did not begin during his service and is not related to any in-service noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, including secondary to bilateral hearing loss, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is addressed in the remand portion of this decision.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar degenerative disc disease, right leg numbness, and hemochromatosis were denied as they are not service-connected. The Board found that the conditions did not develop during or due to military service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of a back injury are not shown to have developed as a result of an established event, injury, or disease during active service. Therefore, these claims for service connection are denied.

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

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records from 1979 to 2006, scheduling a VA examination for the duodenal ulcer with gastroesophageal reflux disease, arranging for an opinion on the etiology of hypertension and pes planus, and providing a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted on an extraschedular basis due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and cervical/lumbar spine disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise trauma during service, warranting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military noise exposure. Service connection for skin cancer is also granted as it is at least as likely as not related to his service due to radiation exposure.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal of the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing at the Seattle Regional Office. The issues of entitlement to service connection for anxiety/depression, bilateral tinnitus, and an injury of the right foot and/or right knee are pending.