The veteran's tinnitus is currently manifested by occasional ringing in the ears, more noticeable in the evenings. The RO granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus with a 10 percent rating effective from November 21, 2001. However, as the maximum schedular evaluation has been assigned, no higher evaluation can be granted.
The deciding factor: The veteran's tinnitus is rated at the maximum schedular evaluation of 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 6260 for recurrent tinnitus and there are no provisions in the rating schedule that allow for a separate evaluation for each ear affected by tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 9, 2004
- Citation
- 0406217
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0406217.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for insomnia.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for bilateral tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, resulting in their dismissal.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and remanded the claims for bilateral tinnitus, right knee osteoarthritis, and left knee osteoarthritis due to inadequate medical evidence.
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