Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2015

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to lack of anatomical loss or use of both hands, blindness in both eyes with 5/200 visual acuity or less, or deep partial thickness burns, full thickness or subdermal burns, or residuals of an inhalation injury.

The Board found that the Veteran's Tourette's syndrome was not aggravated by service and denied his claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus as they were not shown to be related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, neck disability, and right shoulder disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain all pertinent treatment records and to provide the Veteran with a VA examination for his claimed disabilities. The claims are being remanded.

The Veteran's cataract of the left eye is found to have been incurred during service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The other issues on appeal are not addressed as they were not included in his notice of disagreement or statement of case.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be secondarily related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, hearing loss, and tinnitus, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted the TDIU.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began in service and is related to his military noise exposure. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was not addressed due to a lack of evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is now rated at 50 percent effective October 25, 2010. His tinnitus remains rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the addition of her child as a dependent for additional compensation purposes was denied because the first formal claim was received on May 7, 2012. The effective date is set at June 1, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from performing sedentary or light duty work, and the preponderance of evidence is against finding that he cannot secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded as the VA examination provided by the examiner did not adequately address the continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The February 1978 rating decision denying these claims is final.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and denied the remaining issues on appeal. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim is remanded due to inadequate etiology opinion, while his obstructive sleep apnea, knee disabilities, and status post septoplasty and turbinectomy claims are also remanded.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the Veteran's claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, as the current VA examiner's opinion is inadequate. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his active service. The pulmonary disorder is not currently determined to be related to his active service, but may be due to herbicide exposure in the Republic of Vietnam.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, notifying the Social Security Administration (SSA), and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD was granted, with the effective date set at March 17, 2010.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have its onset during active service, and the Board granted his claim for service connection. The hearing loss claim is remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.