Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for further examination regarding tinnitus.

The Board found no clear and convincing evidence linking the Veteran's hearing loss disability and tinnitus to service, including his combat experience in Vietnam. The VA examinations did not support a connection.

The Board found no evidence of in-service hearing loss or tinnitus, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the Veteran did not experience these conditions during his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, including the potential need to obtain VA treatment records from California.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease and PTSD have rendered him unable to secure or follow any substantially gainful occupation since November 3, 2010.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it is related to his active military service. His claim for hepatitis B compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to VA endoscopy procedure remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a personal hearing. The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and microalbuminuria are pending.

The Veteran's tinnitus is etiologically related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and the Board grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of frostbite of the lower extremities are all found to be related to service. The Veteran is granted an initial 30 percent rating for PTSD.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acoustic neuroma, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are being remanded due to inadequacies in the previous VA examination. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and denied the remaining issues on appeal. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his left ear hearing loss and tinnitus. Additionally, a VA examination will be scheduled to assess how the Veteran's service-connected disabilities collectively affect his employability.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred or aggravated. The VA examiner concluded that it was less likely than not that current hearing loss and tinnitus were related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability in either ear, and therefore cannot establish service connection for bilateral hearing loss. Service connection is also denied for tinnitus as there is no evidence of its occurrence during service or within one year post-service. The remaining issues are not addressed due to lack of claim.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an updated medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as review the claims file for compliance with the remand directives.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted his claim for TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is dismissed because he is already eligible for special monthly compensation.

The Veteran's service-connected COPD, defective hearing, tinnitus, neurodermatitis, and hemorrhoids combine to a 90 percent rating. The weight of the competent and probative evidence indicates that these conditions preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.