Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service. The VA examiner opined that the disorders are less likely as not caused by noise exposure during service.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to address the merits of the Veteran's claims, including obtaining a clarifying opinion from a VA examiner regarding the etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus. The missing toe nail claim will be remanded for issuance of a Statement of the Case.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied it. The claim for tinnitus was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied as there is no current diagnosis of the disorder. The Veteran also does not meet the criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, as his impairment is primarily caused by non-service connected knee issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is not related to his military service and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be incurred in service and granted service connection. The hearing loss claim is pending due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, are found to be so severe that they prevent him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and reopened the claim for tinnitus. The Veteran's current hearing loss is found to be related to his military service, while his tinnitus was also found to be incurred in service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnoses of hearing loss, tinnitus, and heart disorder do not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is granted, effective from January 23, 2009. The decision is based on the combined effect of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred on May 10, 2007 at BryanLGH Heart Institute (BHI) because the treatment was not rendered in an emergency situation and a VA facility was feasibly available.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including DDD of the lumbar spine and PTSD, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment as of September 11, 2013. His TDIU claim is granted effective from that date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, but his PVD of both upper extremities does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their onset during or immediately after service, and are not related to acoustic trauma in service. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for tinnitus has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of the case.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and his tinnitus is less likely caused by service. The claim of increased rating for left shoulder disability meets criteria for a 30% rating.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent throughout the appeal period, and service connection for tinnitus has been granted. The issues of hearing loss and TDIU remain unresolved.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of bilateral tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure. The hearing loss claim remains pending as it was not addressed by the VA examiner.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active duty, nor may sensorineural hearing loss be presumed to have been incurred therein. The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are considered less likely as not permanently aggravated by his service ear infection.