Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, bilateral defective hearing, and chronic tinnitus are being remanded due to inconsistencies in reported stressors and lack of verification.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus can be attributed to his period of active military service and granted service connection for this condition.

The veteran is seeking service connection for nerve damage, facial pain, tinnitus, and headaches that he claims are secondary to his service-connected residuals of a foreign body (dental burr) in the maxilla. The Board has remanded the case for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and the need for a VA examination to determine if the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need to obtain VA and private medical records related to the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for an effective date prior to November 26, 2002 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, including exposure to noise in Vietnam. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, as there was no evidence of hearing impairment during service and both conditions developed many years after service. The claims for service connection are denied.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability or tinnitus, and there is no evidence linking these conditions to service. Therefore, the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of onset or progression of hearing loss while in active duty, and no mention of tinnitus or hearing loss in any records, including service medical records. The July 2003 VA physician's opinion regarding causation is considered too speculative.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, specifically noise exposure during active duty. As a result, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a causal relationship between any inservice noise exposure and current hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the evidence does not support service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, or tinnitus. The veteran's claims are denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension, heart disease, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, low back disability (arthritis), left knee disability, residuals of a left hand injury with tremors, and degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder were not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The claims for increased ratings are also denied.

The Board has granted an initial disability rating of 20 percent for service-connected residuals of a neck injury with degenerative changes to the cervical spine, effective from September 26, 2003. The veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated as noncompensable.

The Board has determined that the VA audio examination conducted in October 2003 does not sufficiently address whether the veteran's current tinnitus is related to military noise exposure. The case is therefore being remanded for another VA examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there is no medical evidence of a nexus between the veteran's tinnitus and his military service.