Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have tinnitus related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations to determine the nature of his skin disorder, tinnitus, and PTSD. The claims will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The veteran's service-connected compartment syndrome of the left leg with residual peroneal nerve palsy and left foot drop is currently rated at 40 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 8521. The veteran's service-connected surgical scar to the left calf and skin graft donor site scar to the left thigh are both rated at 10 percent each.

The veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at the maximum allowable under VA rating criteria, and thus no additional evaluation can be granted.

The veteran's claim for separate schedular ratings for tinnitus in each ear is denied as the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent is already assigned.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is rated as 10 percent disabling, the maximum rating authorized under Diagnostic Code 6260. There is no legal basis for an initial or staged schedular evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board dismissed the appeal as there was no clear and unmistakable error in granting service connection for tinnitus with a single 10% evaluation.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is already assigned the maximum rating of 10 percent, and there is no legal basis for a separate rating in each ear.

The Board dismissed the appeal as there was no clear and unmistakable error in granting service connection for tinnitus with a single 10% evaluation, as per the applicable regulations.

The Board found that the January and February 2003 rating decisions, which granted a single 10 percent evaluation for bilateral tinnitus, were not clearly and unmistakably erroneous. The veteran's service-connected tinnitus has been assigned the maximum schedular evaluation available under Diagnostic Code 6260.

The veteran's claim for a separate 10 percent rating for each ear for service-connected bilateral tinnitus is denied as there is no legal entitlement to such ratings.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is already assigned the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent, and therefore there is no legal entitlement for a separate 10-percent evaluation for each ear.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is already rated at the maximum allowed under the applicable rating criteria, so a higher rating is denied.

The veteran's initial 10 percent rating for tinnitus is denied as there is no legal basis to assign separate ratings for each ear.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for tinnitus is denied as the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent has been assigned and upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is already receiving the maximum schedular disability rating of 10 percent, and no higher rating can be assigned.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for tinnitus is denied as the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent has been assigned and upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The veteran's appeal for separate schedular 10 percent ratings for tinnitus in each ear was denied as the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent is already assigned under Diagnostic Code 6260.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is currently rated at the maximum of 10 percent, and there is no legal basis for an increased evaluation.

The veteran's tinnitus is rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations, and no higher rating can be assigned.