Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise exposure during service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not due to noise exposure during military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus does not warrant a rating higher than the current 10 percent evaluation, as there is no evidence of marked interference with employment or frequent hospitalization due to his condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his hearing loss, tinnitus, and lung condition. The veteran was assigned a noncompensable rating for each of these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected heart disorder did not contribute to his death or accelerate it. The cause of death was determined to be esophageal cancer, which began due to chronic reflux issues related to his service-connected conditions and aggravated by medications for those conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a hole in his head, no current headaches as a result of service, and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service. However, there is no evidence of any pre-service or post-service conditions that can be linked to these disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for scheduling a 'Travel Board' hearing. The appeal is currently in process and no effective date or rating assigned has been determined yet.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 23, 1998, for a 10 percent evaluation for tinnitus. The decision also found no clear and unmistakable error in not assigning a 10 percent evaluation prior to that date.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence does not warrant a higher rating based on current medical findings.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for Meniere's Disease and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that there was no evidence linking his Meniere's Disease to his service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a skin disability due to new evidence submitted since the last denial in May 1979. The claims are now considered on their merits.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not begin during or as a result of his service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for fungus infection of the ears, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claim for residuals of injuries sustained in a fall is still pending as the RO failed to provide an SOC.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus, right knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss are service-connected. The veteran is granted increased ratings for his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and to reopen his claim for service connection for hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between current disabilities and military service.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for tinnitus and a calcaneal spur with plantar fasciitis of the left heel were denied as there was no evidence to support ratings higher than the current 10 percent evaluations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and herpes simplex due to a lack of competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the effective date for service connection of tinnitus should be January 20, 1961, as this is the day following the veteran's separation from active military service. The veteran had previously filed a claim in 1961 but it was not adjudicated due to his lack of familiarity with the term 'tinnitus'.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for tinnitus, finding that the effective date should be August 27, 1996. The veteran was granted a 10% rating at this time.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred as a result of service, attributing them to natural aging rather than noise exposure or infections in service.