Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus claims, including a lack of audiological examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with noise exposure being a significant factor.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and pulmonary fibrosis (claimed as asbestosis). The appeals were based on new evidence received after final decisions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a service connection for bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus the Veteran's claims are denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of June 4, 2007, for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU). The evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities alone precluded gainful employment prior to this date.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and opinion regarding his employability.

The Veteran is unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, primarily bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board finds that the criteria for a TDIU have been met.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were found to have originated in service due to acoustic trauma, resulting in a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or continuity of symptoms since service. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The Board found no current disability for the claim of bilateral hearing loss, but granted service connection for tinnitus as it was diagnosed during active duty.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence received since previous final decisions raises reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims. The Board also granted service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including verification of stressor events and obtaining VA treatment records. He also needs to undergo examinations for his claimed psychiatric disability, headaches, hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar spine disorder, stress fractures of the ankles, and stress fractures of the feet.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was reopened and granted, with the effective date set at the day following the August 2004 denial.,Service connection for tinnitus was granted, but an earlier effective date is denied as no formal or informal claim prior to April 29, 2008, has been identified.

The Board found that the appellant's hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their inception during active service or for many years thereafter, and are not causally related to his active service. Therefore, the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there is no credible evidence of a current disability and noting that the Veteran did not report having tinnitus during his VA examination. The Board also found no medical records indicating any history of tinnitus.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current tinnitus was incurred as a result of hazardous noise exposure and acoustic trauma during active service, including periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA). As such, the claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's pre-existing hearing loss did not worsen during his military service and that there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure related to current tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current disabilities for which he is seeking service connection, and therefore, his claims are denied.