Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records and a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his bone and joint pain, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of current disability meeting VA criteria.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus must be remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining relevant medical records and arranging for an audiological examination.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The claim for tinnitus is remanded as it involves a separate issue.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and occupational background, thus meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus due to new and material evidence. However, a VA examination is needed to determine if his current tinnitus is related to noise exposure in service.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, including noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and consideration of his exposure history.

The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C, hypothyroidism, hearing loss, tinnitus, a psychiatric disorder (major depression with polysubstance abuse, in remission), and residuals of low back trauma. The Veteran's claims were not supported by the evidence presented.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The preponderance of the evidence supports a finding that these conditions are not due to service.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection and his residuals of a left elbow fracture were assigned an initial disability rating of 10 percent. The claim for increased rating remains pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, and the Board grants a TDIU.

The Veteran seeks service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which he asserts are related to a head injury sustained in 1946. The VA will make reasonable efforts to obtain relevant records not in the custody of a Federal agency.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hepatitis C. The evidence does not show that any of these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including ischemic heart disease and hypertension, are granted due to exposure to herbicides in the Republic of Vietnam. The effective date is not specified.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active duty service, as there is no evidence of such conditions prior to separation from service. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's hearing loss was more likely due to post-service occupational noise exposure and age-related changes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine the cause of his hearing loss and tinnitus, including verification of periods of active duty and reserve service.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus and hypertension were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's current diagnoses of tinnitus and hypertension are not related to his military service, with the exception of a possible link between hypertension and his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to an effective date earlier than June 25, 2002 for awards of service connection for a lumbar disability, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability is also addressed in the REMAND portion.