Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his active service due to combat noise exposure, meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection.

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

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which he claims are related to noise exposure during military service. The VA has requested a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are etiologically related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not meet the schedular requirements for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, and his claim was denied.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis has been remanded due to the need for further development and consideration by the Director of Compensation and Pension Service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have started during service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to incomplete development of his in-service stressors and exposure history, as well as the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board found that the evidence was in equipoise for tinnitus, but denied service connection due to a significant lapse of time between service and post-service medical treatment.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, but his initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss remains pending as the case has been remanded for further development.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus and granted it, finding that new evidence submitted since the last final denial relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim (a current diagnosis of tinnitus). The Board also found that the Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition. The arthritis issues are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's initial claim of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus was denied. The Board also found that there is no legal basis for the assignment of a schedular evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus. For the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, the Veteran's claim was denied as there is no persuasive evidence of continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. The claims for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and lumbosacral spine status post surgery are remanded due to the need for further development.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, but concludes that it is at least as likely as not that these conditions were also caused by other factors such as recreational use of a lawnmower without protection. The decision is therefore mixed, with some issues granted (hearing loss) and others denied (tinnitus).

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been denied. The initial rating for bilateral hearing loss is still noncompensable, while the initial rating for tinnitus remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are not of such severity as to render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of bilateral tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence that the condition was incurred in or aggravated by his active military service. The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral recurrent tinnitus is more likely due to environmental and genetic factors rather than noise exposure during service. For the headache disability, secondary to residuals of resection of left eye muscle for esotropia, the claim will be remanded as the RO has not issued a Statement of the Case (SOC) regarding this issue.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure. The initial rating for residuals of left ankle strain remains unchanged.