Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2017

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a dental disability and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence to support the assertions that these conditions are related to active service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have onset during active service, were not caused by his active service, and therefore denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for colon cancer, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a lung condition (chronic bronchitis) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service. Service connection is established for chronic lymphocytic leukemia due to exposure at Camp Lejeune and for tinnitus which originated during active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, while his colon or cecum cancer is not. The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were found to be caused by in-service noise exposure, but his colon or cecum cancer was not linked to any service connection basis.

The Board has remanded the case to allow for scheduling of a videoconference hearing at the appropriate RO.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and a TDIU has been dismissed as she withdrew her appeals prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for effective dates of February 22, 2012 for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The TDIU claim is remanded as it raises new issues not previously addressed.

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

The Board has remanded the appeal for additional development, including obtaining dates of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA) with the New Jersey National Guard. The Veteran's representative was also given an opportunity to review the claims file.

The Board determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, thus denying his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical opinions and private records. The Veteran's death is being reviewed to determine if his service-connected conditions contributed to his cause of death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating as he has not provided necessary financial information and his combined disability rating is less than 70%.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition. The hearing loss claim remains pending as the VA examiner did not provide a sufficient rationale in their opinion.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus did not manifest during or as a result of military service and is not etiologically related to his service-connected diabetes or hypertension.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have not rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board finds that his TDIU claim is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the severity of his tinnitus and its impact on his ability to function. The case will also be reviewed to determine if referral for extraschedular consideration is warranted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no evidence of onset or continuity of symptoms during service, and the Board found that current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment due to his PTSD, hearing loss, and tinnitus.