Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for frostbite of the hands, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Veteran's current disabilities are not related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than April 24, 2006, for service connection of right hand condition and residuals of a right foot shrapnel wound with scar. The decision also dismissed the Veteran's appeal regarding entitlement to increased evaluation for sensorineural hearing loss and service connection for tinnitus due to untimely filing of substantive appeals.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus in proximity to service. The appellant must provide this evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is causally related to service, and his peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities was not incurred in or aggravated during service. The claim for service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disorder and granted it. The other issues on appeal were not addressed as they are related to different conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims to reopen for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there is current disability, symptomatology consistent with the disabilities for some time, and medical evidence at least in equipoise as to whether the current disabilities are related to service noise exposure. The TDIU claim will be readjudicated after a VA examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus are related to his service, specifically his combat experiences in Vietnam and noise exposure during his time in the Army National Guard. As a result, the claims for service connection were granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not meet the criteria for service connection as they are not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus in service, and the VA examiner opined that any current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to military service.

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

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing service treatment records and other medical records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied as the preponderance of evidence does not support a link to military service. The right knee disability, prior to December 2, 2008, did not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to October 5, 2005, for the grant of service connection for tinnitus is denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for hepatitis B and tinnitus, and granted service connection for chronic tinnitus. The issues of service connection for other conditions are being remanded to the RO.

The Veteran's service connected disabilities preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and industrial background, thus meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, thus the Board dismisses these claims.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining an examination and updating the claims file with recent VA treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD, tinnitus, and left ear hearing loss) do not render him unemployable due to their combined effect on his ability to engage in substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for tinnitus was denied as the disability is already at its maximum schedular evaluation. The claim for TDIU based on service-connected disabilities was also denied due to the combined disability rating not meeting the required percentage criteria.