Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2017

The Board has found that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his service and granted service connection for this condition. The hearing loss claim remains pending as it requires additional development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities are being remanded for additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, including exposure to loud gunfire and a land mine explosion in Vietnam. As such, the claims for service connection have been granted.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his noise exposure during service, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss or tinnitus disability for which service connection can be granted. However, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran, the Board finds that he has a heart disability due to disease or injury in service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraine headaches has been reopened, but the Board is remanding it to allow for further development.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss remains denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at Level I in both ears.

The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU has been remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and consideration of new evidence. The case will be returned to the AOJ for readjudication.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to his active service, including exposure to noise during military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, foot disorder, knee disorder, lumbar spine disorder, and breathing disorder are all granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, thus granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment prior to October 6, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine if he qualifies for TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate medical opinions in the prior VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected left foot disability and tinnitus do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. His overall disability rating does not meet the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, taken as a whole, did not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment prior to December 29, 2010.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet criteria for higher ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU since January 13, 2011 and basic eligibility for DEA benefits under Chapter 35, Title 38 of the United States Code as of that date.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as there is no credible evidence of a right or left shoulder injury during service, and the record does not contain probative evidence relating any currently diagnosed shoulder disorder to active service.,The Veteran's appeal is denied as there is no credible evidence of tinnitus during service or for many years thereafter. The preponderance of the evidence is against finding that current tinnitus is related to active service.