Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding his claimed conditions and their relationship to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD, Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Tinnitus, and Bilateral Hearing Loss) produced a combined disability rating of 60 percent from November 24, 2007 to March 8, 2010. However, the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability were not met during this period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to March 5, 2012.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active military service, and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

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

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions had onset during service.

The Board has found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there was no evidence of current disability during or within one year after service. However, the VA examiner did not have access to all relevant records, including those from the early 1980s when the Veteran first noticed symptoms.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection, and his PTSD with depressive disorder is currently rated at 50 percent. The Board finds a remand necessary to obtain VA treatment records and provide the Veteran with a new VA psychiatric examination for his PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including respiratory disorder, bilateral feet disorder, stomach disorder, depression and anxiety, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, were denied as the evidence does not support a current disability or a link to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability within the meaning of VA regulations.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability related to service for the claimed conditions, including bilateral knee disability, bilateral shin splints, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disability. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are found to be related to his military service, with the onset of symptoms during service and continuity since then.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of current disability, and the Board found that any symptoms experienced during service are not related to his current conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and granted his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran has these conditions that began during active service or are related to an incident of service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address his claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and COPD. The VA will obtain medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for recurrent tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence received since the last denial. The Board finds that these conditions are related to his active military service.

The Board has determined that the effective date for the grant of a TDIU is July 6, 2006, as it was factually ascertainable that the Veteran was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected PTSD from this date onward.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected prostate cancer, status-post radiation with erectile dysfunction, prior to June 22, 2012, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to that date.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to July 3, 2007 is being remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of extraschedular TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a total disability rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability.