Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2017

The Board has found that service connection is warranted for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, temporomandibular joint disease (TMJ)/TMD, and a disability manifested by dizziness.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, which prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The effective date of the award of service connection for PTSD is set at November 15, 2006.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, depression, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, precluded him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to April 22, 2016. The Board granted TDIU on this basis.

The Board has remanded the case to determine if the appellant was insane at the time of his offenses, and whether he incurred a TBI during service. The VA will obtain additional medical records and arrange for an examination.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for tinnitus, which he claims is related to in-service acoustic trauma. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary due to the need for an examination regarding whether his tinnitus is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting entitlement to TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been granted. The Board found that the evidence supported a finding of entitlement to this higher rating based on the severity of his IBS symptoms.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death, and no jurisdiction remains for further action.

The Veteran's tinnitus had its onset during service and is considered service-connected.

The Board has determined that the April 2004 rating decision was clearly and unmistakably erroneous, and therefore grants an earlier effective date of September 10, 2003 for service connection of tinnitus.

The Board has determined that service connection is warranted for tinnitus and irritable bowel syndrome (to include as secondary to PTSD), but not for bilateral hearing loss, erectile dysfunction, skin cancer, or degenerative joint disease of the left knee or right knee. The Veteran's hypertension was also found not to be related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran likely has bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus that are attributable to his active military service, resolving all reasonable doubt in his favor. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to have started during service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus was incurred during service, and his bilateral hearing loss disability is presumed due to in-service noise exposure. The Board also granted service connection for hypertension based on presumptive exposure to herbicide agents (Gulf War Syndrome).

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's current diagnosis of tinnitus, combined with his credible reports of first noticing symptoms during service, results in a finding of reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, granting him service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in service and the Board finds that there is a likely continuity of symptoms from service to the present.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not include a disability rated as permanent and total, thus he does not meet the legal criteria for entitlement to specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, while his acquired psychiatric disability is not shown to be due to service. As a result, these claims for service connection have been denied.

The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were found not to be related to his active service. The Board denied the claims for these conditions.