Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2016

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and an opinion on the Veteran's employability due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted service connection, while his lumbar spine osteoarthritis with degenerative disc disease has been rated at 20 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is at least as likely as not related to his military service. The appeal regarding the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was remanded.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiner's opinion regarding the Veteran's claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, specifically due to noise exposure during parachute jumps and artillery fire. As a result, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are etiologically related to his period of active service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection for tinnitus and pneumonia (claimed as breathing problems). The Board finds that there are no longer any issues to consider in these matters.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim is being remanded for an addendum VA examination to determine the etiology of his current tinnitus, given his in-service noise exposure. The examiner must consider the Veteran's service and reserve records as well as his assertions regarding acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied multiple times, and no new or material evidence has been received to reopen any of the previously denied claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sensory loss, left side of neck at C3-4 distribution, warrants a rating of 10 percent and not higher. The evidence does not support a finding of more severe impairment warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in unemployability throughout the appellate period.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure of the Veteran to report for scheduled VA examinations. The case is now being processed again with a new attempt at scheduling an examination and obtaining additional medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were incurred during active duty service. Bilateral hearing loss was aggravated by service, while tinnitus had its onset during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his medical records.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his active military service, including noise exposure in Vietnam. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is not related to his active service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not incurred in active service. The remaining issues of entitlement to service connection for hyperopia with presbyopia claimed due to right eye injury and bilateral hearing loss are remanded.

Service connection is granted for tinnitus. The Veteran's hypertension is rated at 10 percent. An initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the heart attack with stent implantation is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to inadequacies in the previous VA examiner's opinion. The case will be reviewed again with a new addendum opinion that addresses the issues of causation, aggravation, and secondary service connection.