Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2015

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's in-service noise exposure is related to these conditions. For lichen planus, a compensable rating of 10% was assigned based on less than 5% body surface area affected.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability and tinnitus. The decision on the left knee disability is final, while the tinnitus issue remains pending.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus, right hip disorder, bilateral knee osteoarthritis, and thoracolumbar spine disorder are related to his service-connected toe fractures. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated during service.,An organic disease of the nervous system was not shown within one year following service.

The Veteran's current tinnitus was incurred during his active military service, and the Board finds that it is related to his military noise exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to service and has been granted.,Bilateral hearing loss was diagnosed during VA examination, but the examiner could not determine its etiology without resorting to speculation.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not become manifest or develop during service, within one year of discharge from service, or are otherwise related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected neurological disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred during service, as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria for hearing loss or tinnitus. The examiner opined that any hearing loss and tinnitus are less likely due to military noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that these conditions are causally related to service.,Regarding the psychiatric disorder claim, the Veteran's entitlement remains on appeal as it was not addressed by the RO.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not a result of acoustic trauma sustained during his military service, and he was granted a TDIU effective April 10, 2009.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, with the Board finding that there is at least equipoise evidence in favor of a connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a schedular TDIU under 38 C.F.R. � 4.16(a). However, given evidence suggesting unemployability, the Board has remanded the claim to determine if an extraschedular TDIU is warranted.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection and assignment of a 10 percent evaluation for tinnitus, including on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in a prior June 1994 rating decision that denied this claim. The case is being remanded to allow the RO to initially consider this downstream issue.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess his tinnitus, hearing loss, and osteoarthritis of the left hip.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. The Board found that the Veteran had a 28 year post-service history of working in construction, which was considered when determining whether his current disabilities were related to service.