Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well grounded, as there was no competent medical evidence linking his current conditions to service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and manifestations of undiagnosed illnesses, were denied. The RO found that the veteran did not submit well-grounded claims for these issues.

The Board has determined that the case must be returned to the RO for further development and consideration, including considering extraschedular evaluation for tinnitus and determining whether timely notices of disagreement were filed regarding effective dates.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are due to exposure to loud noises from guns during service. The claim for otitis media of the left ear is not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation under either the old or new criteria, and his tinnitus is currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling. Therefore, both issues are denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and vision loss are not well grounded. As such, these claims cannot be granted.

The veteran's organic brain syndrome was granted a 30% rating effective March 18, 1998. His radiation retinopathy of the right eye remains at a 10% rating and his hearing loss with tinnitus does not have an assigned rating.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for left inguinal orchiotomy and tinnitus were denied due to failure to report for scheduled VA examinations.,Service connection for hepatitis C was not well grounded as there is no evidence of its occurrence in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise exposure during his period of active service, with aggravation occurring in service. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and atherosclerotic heart disease are not well grounded. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities or a nexus between any in-service events and these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and vertigo, as well as his requests for increased ratings for his hearing loss and left ear pain. The temporary total disability ratings based on hospitalizations in 1994 and 1995 were granted.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left shoulder disability was incurred during his period of active duty. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not well grounded.

The Board finds that the veteran's claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disorder is well-grounded and sufficient to establish service connection. The evidence shows back pain in service, continued treatment post-service, and diagnosis of lumbar paraspinal muscular strain and spasm.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an effective date prior to November 24, 1997 for the grant of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus.

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

The veteran's claims for service connection for an upper back disability, residuals of bilateral shoulder surgeries, a psychiatric disability, and a jaw disability (including basal cell carcinoma) are not well grounded. The Board finds that the evidence does not establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his conditions are not well-grounded.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not establish a direct relationship to service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, with a rating of 10% for tinnitus. The veteran's hearing loss is currently rated as Level VI in both ears.