Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his inability to attend a personal hearing. The issues of service connection for various conditions and TDIU remain unresolved.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, skin cancer, and coronary artery disease. The decision found that the Veteran did not have these conditions attributable to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a nexus to service.

The Veteran's service records do not show any chronic headaches or tinnitus as a result of head trauma during his military service. The Board has determined that the current conditions are not related to his service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and left varicocele. The earliest possible effective date is March 12, 2007.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's original claim for service connection included a claim for tinnitus, which was received within one year of his discharge from service. Therefore, the effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus is set at January 16, 1979.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including access to employment verification and VA examinations to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to work.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not a disorder due to acoustic trauma as a helicopter pilot in service. Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus as it was not shown to be incurred in or aggravated by active service. The Veteran withdrew his appeal seeking nonservice-connected pension.

The appeal is being remanded due to missing VA outpatient records and the need for additional examinations to determine the nature, extent, onset, and etiology of any hearing loss, tinnitus, headaches, back, right knee, left knee, right ankle, left ankle, right foot or left foot disability found to be present.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, with all doubts resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus as there was no current disability meeting the VA criteria for a hearing loss disability, and insufficient competent medical evidence to support a nexus between in-service noise exposure and either condition.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is attributable to in-service noise exposure. Service connection for left ankle disability was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for purposes of accrued benefits based on the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension. The decision is based on a finding that these conditions are not related to active duty service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's hearing acuity did not meet the threshold requirements for a disability due to impaired hearing for VA purposes.

The Board found no evidence of a current psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, incurred in or aggravated by service. The Veteran's claims for coronary artery disease and erectile dysfunction as secondary to coronary artery disease were also denied.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus have been evaluated based on the applicable rating criteria, with no higher evaluations being warranted. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation for his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss or for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including depression, renal insufficiency with hypertension, incisional hernia, diabetes mellitus with retinopathy and impotence, right knee disability, left knee disability, neurodermatitis, tinnitus, limitation of motion of the right knee, hearing loss, and other conditions have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military noise exposure. The December 2008 VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are less likely than not caused by or a result of noise trauma in the army.