Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2016

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure and granted service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and right shoulder arthritis, are found to be of such severity that they prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 40 percent since January 23, 2012. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, to include as secondary to PTSD, are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for PTSD and remanded the issues of hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) for further development.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA rating purposes and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The claim of service connection for tinnitus was granted, but no effective date is assigned as it relates to the grant of service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to service. The Appellant's claims have been reopened due to new and material evidence submitted since the last final denial.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a pre-existing condition worsening during service. The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus were attributed to post-service factors.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities met the percentage requirements for a schedular TDIU, and the collective evidence on the question of whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have since prevented him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment is relatively evenly balanced.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for higher ratings of tinnitus, low back disability, and hemorrhoids disabilities.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are service connected. The psychiatric disorder, including depression, is not service connected.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are related to his active service, including exposure to loud noises during military exercises. As a result, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Board has determined that the case must be remanded to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus claims, as well as to address any other issues inextricably intertwined with these claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his tension headaches rated at 50 percent disabling and bilateral flat feet rated at 30 percent disabling, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus is assigned the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent. The claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is denied as there are no legal grounds to assign a higher evaluation under Diagnostic Code 6260. For ED, the RO has already granted service connection and assigned the minimum (zero percent) evaluation allowed by law.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including issuing a statement of the case on depression and PTSD, and scheduling a Travel Board hearing.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not render him unemployable, as his disabilities are not severe enough to prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and are not otherwise related to service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA medical records and issuing a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SOC) on several issues.