Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Board found no current diagnoses of these conditions and concluded that they were not incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a gunshot wound to the right thumb and for blurred vision and loss of balance, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after separation from active duty. The VA audiological examinations have shown significant hearing loss in both ears but do not indicate a direct link to service.

The veteran is seeking an effective date earlier than June 14, 2002 for service connection of tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss. The Board will consider whether the September 1992 rating decision denying service connection was made in error (CUE).

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a failure of the veteran to attend a scheduled VA examination and because the RO did not present his file to an appropriate examiner.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and posttraumatic head injury (claimed as headaches, vertigo, and depression) due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral defective hearing and chronic tinnitus are related to his military service, specifically his exposure to aircraft noise. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and headaches, as due to undiagnosed illness or other qualifying, chronic disability. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a current disability.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and awarded an effective date of February 6, 2003. Service connection for left ear hearing loss was denied.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, defective hearing (bilateral high frequency hearing loss), and tinnitus. The evidence now supports a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and assigned a 30 percent initial rating for PTSD, effective from July 30, 2002. The veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 50 percent disabling.

The veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his active duty service.

The Board found that the veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, heart disease, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and sinusitis. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service or any other basis.

The Board finds that it is at least as likely as not that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss began during active service. The claim for tinnitus must be denied due to lack of contemporaneous evidence and negative medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, which are claimed as service-connected conditions. The RO is instructed to gather more information about the veteran's noise exposure history during and after service.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 30 percent, his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU were denied. The RO found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher disability evaluations under the applicable rating schedule.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for myocardial infarction, tinnitus, and right-sided hearing loss. The decision found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or any exposure basis.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a lung disorder, anxiety or depression, hearing loss, tinnitus, or hypertension that is attributable to his military service.