Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board found no evidence of a current neck condition, bilateral hearing loss, or tinnitus related to service.,VA determined that the Veteran's claims for these conditions were not supported by competent and credible evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to January 9, 2005 for a 10% disability rating for tinnitus and for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss. The effective date of the award for tinnitus was fixed at January 9, 2005, based on liberalizing changes in VA regulations. For hearing loss, there is no assigned rating or effective date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active duty service, as there is no evidence of any complaints or diagnoses during service and no indication of a continuity of symptomatology. The preponderance of the evidence does not support these claims.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for the issues of service connection for liver disease, left eye blindness, left ankle injury, PTSD, left leg and knee injury, right ankle injury, colon cancer, tinnitus, and prostate problems.

The Board has found that new and material evidence has been received sufficient to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran currently has tinnitus, which he contends is due to in-service noise exposure during combat operations. Applying the benefit of doubt doctrine, the Board finds that his current tinnitus is related to his military service.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain clarifying medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and stomach condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current tinnitus and therefore cannot establish service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for referral to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for extraschedular consideration of TDIU entitlement due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions had their onset during active service. Service connection was denied for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, claimed as secondary to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination and further development is needed.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination and opinion to clarify the nature and etiology of his tinnitus, which he claims is related to service. The current evidence does not clearly establish whether his tinnitus is due to noise exposure in service or post-service employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, while disabling, do not render him unemployable due to their combined effects. The nonservice-connected conditions have a more significant impact on his employability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current ratings for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are appropriate, as they do not exceed the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent. The claim is denied.

The Board found no evidence of a current pulmonary disability, hypertension, or residuals of stroke with eyesight problems related to service. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were also not found to be related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for tinnitus and a 10% rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there were no pending, prior, unadjudicated claims upon which an earlier effective date could be based.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for clarification of his claims and to ensure all necessary evidence is available for review.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have current left ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and thus denied service connection for this condition. The claim for service connection for tinnitus was also denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a nexus between his current conditions and service.