Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2016

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in a previous VA examiner's opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's tinnitus. The Veteran will need an addendum opinion from the May 2011 VA audiology examiner or another qualified examiner.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right lower extremity disorder, diabetes mellitus, hearing loss, and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his active military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain and maintain gainful employment, and there are no unusual or exceptional disability factors warranting referral of the Veteran's claim for TDIU. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the claim and entitlement to TDIU is not warranted.

The Board is remanding the case for further development to address inconsistencies in a previous medical opinion and to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his hemorrhoids and determine the etiology of his tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus and left ear hearing loss do not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military noise exposure, thus denying service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not related to his active duty service, and the Board grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran is granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II due to herbicide exposure and denied service connection for tinnitus as it did not manifest during service or within the presumptive period.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining a new VA examination for his left knee disability and issuing supplemental statements of the case addressing all issues on appeal.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and peripheral neuropathy are being remanded due to the unavailability of service treatment records. The claim for an increased disability rating for PTSD is also being remanded as a Statement of the Case has not been issued.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is not related to his service, but his bilateral hearing loss may be related. The current examination report and opinions are inadequate for rating purposes.

The VA determined that the Veteran's tinnitus did not have a direct relationship to his military service and was not related to any in-service acoustic trauma. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete development of records, including VA treatment records from April 1999 to present. The Veteran's evidence regarding a 2009 medical article on noise-induced damage is also considered.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, as further development is needed to consider the combined functional effects of all service-connected conditions and their impact on employment.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain clarification of a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, including exposure to noise. The claim will also be considered on its merits for secondary service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not present during service or for many years thereafter, and are not otherwise etiologically related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims due to a scheduling conflict, and the Veteran's request for a hearing by videoconference at the RO.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and a 10 percent rating for chronic left ankle strain, finding that the Veteran's symptoms meet the criteria for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The issues on appeal will be readjudicated after a supplemental opinion is provided.