Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2017

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient rationale in the previous opinion regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral tinnitus is caused by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded to obtain updated treatment records, a VA examination, and further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, but his claim for bilateral hearing loss remains pending as there are no audiometric records available to determine its etiology.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, and a disorder manifested by lumps on the back were denied. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, pes planus, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine strain with degenerative changes, and SMC/Total Unemployability (TDIU) were also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not caused by in-service noise exposure. The claim of bilateral hearing loss remains pending and will be addressed in a separate decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including sinusitis, defective hearing, saddle deformity of the nose and tip collapse, degenerative disc disease, and tinnitus, are found to be sufficient to render him incapable of substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a chronic condition within one year post-service. The VA opinions provided were unable to provide an opinion without resorting to mere speculation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they are related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for stenosis of the middle infundibulum of the left kidney with enuresis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been received to reopen a previously denied claim for stenosis of the middle infundibulum of the left kidney with enuresis.

The Veteran's nasal deformity, status post surgical repair is rated at 10 percent under the criteria for traumatic nasal septum deviation with 50% obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides.,Service connection was denied for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of evidence showing a current disability.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his in-service exposure to loud noise, resulting in a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran has been diagnosed with Meniere's disease, which is associated with hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board found that new evidence related to the onset of these conditions during service raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to in-service acoustic trauma. The right ear hearing loss disability is denied.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral flat feet and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss had their onset during service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinnitus and a separate rating for vertigo/dizziness associated with his service-connected tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the current schedular evaluation adequately reflects the severity of these disabilities, and there was no evidence of exceptional or unusual disability requiring extraschedular consideration.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and assigned a 10% disability rating. The Veteran's right knee DJD, left knee DJD, and left knee instability have been rated at 10%. The appeal is denied as the current ratings are appropriate.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are now pending. The hearing loss, tinnitus, and congestive heart failure disabilities were previously denied in August 2007 but new evidence has been submitted that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no current disability for VA compensation purposes due to lack of evidence of a right ear hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations. For left ear hearing loss, the Board found that while the Veteran had in-service noise exposure, his considerable post-service occupational and recreational noise exposure outweighed this factor. The Board also noted that there was no medical documentation of complaints or treatment for hearing loss during service, but the Veteran's lay statements were considered credible.,For tinnitus, the Board found that the Veteran reported a 45-year history of tinnitus starting while serving aboard the USS Lexington and attributed it to noise exposure. The examiner opined that it was as likely as not associated with his hearing loss.