Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2017

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, as likely as not, preclude him from obtaining or maintaining gainful employment. The Board finds that the service-connected disabilities are of sufficient severity to preclude the Veteran from maintaining gainful employment and TDIU is granted.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, low back disability, and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's rectal cancer, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to his active service. The evidence does not show these conditions during or within one year after service, nor is there any competent medical opinion linking them to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer is not related to his military service, and thus denied the claim. The remaining claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disorder, and right leg disorder are remanded due to incomplete medical records.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 50 percent for coxa vara, right hip, and for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and degenerative joint disease, right knee.

The Veteran's appeal for Parkinson's disease was withdrawn. The claim for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been reopened due to new evidence received since the March 1971 rating decision, which relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claims of service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his in-service exposure to acoustic trauma while serving as a Boatswain's Mate, and granted service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and recurrent tinnitus are related to his military service, with exposure to noise during shipboard duty. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been granted. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether his acquired psychiatric disability, specifically depressive disorder, is related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service acoustic trauma, and thus service connection is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in inability to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have started during his active service in 2007, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. However, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have begun during military service and is therefore granted service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claim for left eye disability remains pending as it was not addressed in the decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (including PTSD, headaches, diabetes mellitus type 2, tinnitus, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy) preclude the Veteran from caring for some of his daily personal needs such as taking his medications, bathing, and preparing his meals without the regular assistance of another person and he needed assistance on a regular basis to protect him from the hazards and dangers in the daily environment.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and affording the Veteran with VA examinations to determine the current severity of her service-connected disabilities. The appeal is now pending before the AOJ.

The Veteran's appeal of service connection for tinnitus was withdrawn, and the claim for a compensatory rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's rib fracture. The Veteran is currently rated non-compensably disabled for his rib fracture.