Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of March 31, 2004 for the grant of service connection for tinnitus. The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and other acquired psychiatric disorders is remanded for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no competent medical evidence linking his current tinnitus to his active military service.

The Board found that the veteran's tinnitus is not attributable to his military service, including to any noise exposure he may have experienced.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service exposure, with reasonable doubt resolving in favor of a finding of service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have residuals of frostbite of the feet or tinnitus due to service. The claim for a compensable initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unemployable due to their severity.

The veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for service-connected tinnitus is denied as the maximum schedular rating of 10% is already assigned.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection for hearing loss and for special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance or being housebound. The Board found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for either benefit.

The appellant withdrew his appeals for the issues of service connection and increased evaluations.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and a rating in excess of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for mitral valve prolapse, finding that it is presumed to have been incurred during active duty. The other issues on appeal are remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, including tinnitus, bilateral arm disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and cervical spine/neck disorder, are not related to his service or any service-connected disabilities. As such, these claims for service connection have been denied.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the minimum percentage requirements for a TDIU, and his disabilities are not shown to prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding disability ratings and effective dates.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding no evidence of a nexus between his active military service and his current diagnosis.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to ensure compliance with the terms of the April 2003 remand order. The appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death is being reviewed by VA medical experts.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion on whether all service-connected disabilities combine to render the veteran unemployable. The claim will also be submitted to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for extraschedular consideration based on a private physician's December 2007 opinion.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of a current disability during service or any increase in severity during service. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for tinnitus and PTSD, finding that the earliest date of entitlement was November 21, 1988 for tinnitus and December 30, 1992 for PTSD.,The veteran argued that his conditions began during service or prior to the assigned effective dates. The Board found no legal authority to grant earlier effective dates based on these arguments.

The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C, PTSD, and tinnitus due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's military service.