Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2016

The Veteran's cold injury residuals were granted effective January 23, 2007. The rating assigned is 30 percent for both the left and right feet prior to this date.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, and the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, low back disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, left shoulder disorder, and bilateral knee disorders are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Board has determined that the VA compensation examinations provided for the Veteran are inadequate and remands the case to obtain additional opinions regarding his hearing loss, tinnitus, and eye disabilities.

The Veteran's representative has withdrawn all issues on appeal, resulting in the dismissal of the case.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's right knee degenerative arthritis is found to be related to her service, and she is granted service connection for this condition. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown to be related to her service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service noise exposure resulting in current hearing loss, and there is no indication of chronicity post-service.

The Board has found that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his in-service head injury, and thus service connection for tinnitus is granted. The claim of bilateral hearing loss disability remains pending as further development is needed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes and neuropathy, have not rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus in service, and these conditions are not otherwise shown to be associated with his active service. As a result, the claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be incurred in service, as he reported experiencing ringing in his ears since exposure to loud noises during service.

The Board finds that the evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's tinnitus had its onset during active duty, and grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, migraine headaches, thoracolumbar spine disability, and other conditions, render her unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board grants a TDIU from January 12, 2005.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and right knee disability. The low back disability claim was denied as not having had its onset in service or being otherwise related to service. Service connection is also denied for left knee disability and bilateral hip disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, with symptoms beginning during service and continuing since then. The decision grants presumptive service connection for these conditions.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for an additional VA examination regarding the Veteran's tinnitus. The Veteran contends that his tinnitus is related to in-service noise exposure, but the current medical opinion does not address this issue directly.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied the reopening of a claim for headaches. The Veteran's headaches are related to in-service noise exposure.

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

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining military pay records and VA audiological opinions to determine the nature and likely etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.,The Veteran's headaches are found to be secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, PTSD, bruxism with lingual tori, and/or herbicide exposure.