Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2016

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between his current tinnitus and his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of in-service incurrence or continuity of symptomatology, and the conditions are not related to any disease, injury, or incident of service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination to address the nature of his retinitis pigmentosa.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted, as the evidence shows a continuity of symptomatology since his military service and it is at least as likely as not that he has experienced a continuity of symptoms indicative of tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus claims, specifically related to noise exposure during service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claims of entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, plantar fasciitis, and bilateral knee arthritis are not considered service-connected due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to December 31, 2009 was denied as his service-connected disabilities did not preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have sufficient hearing loss in his ears to be considered a disability by VA standards and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The tinnitus claim was also denied as it is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current tinnitus cannot be reasonably disassociated from his military service and therefore service connection for tinnitus is granted. The case is remanded to obtain a VA examination to determine whether any degree of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his period of military service, to include as due to in-service noise exposure, and whether his pre-existing left ear hearing loss was aggravated by his period of military service.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 90 percent, with service-connected disabilities that do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his occupational experience and educational background.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and notifying the Veteran of the scheduled examination.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The issue of bilateral hearing loss disability remains pending as the VA audiology evaluation has been ordered.

The Board found that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, as there was no chronicity of symptoms during or within one year after service. The VA examiner opined that the current hearing loss and tinnitus were not etiologically related to service.

The Veteran's claim for restoration of service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as the original grant was clearly and unmistakably erroneous.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU is denied as she does not meet the schedular criteria, and there is no evidence that her unemployability is due to non-service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's Bell's palsy, bilateral pes planus, hemorrhoids, tinnitus, and acquired psychiatric disorder were not found to be related to service. The Board determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disorder did not manifest during active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequate examination and consideration of his lay assertions regarding in-service ear infections. The case is now pending for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied, but his claim for tinnitus is granted.