Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2017

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to noise exposure in service.,Service connection was denied for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than anxiety disorder NOS, to include PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service.,Service connection for degenerative joint disease of the left knee, right flatfoot, and bilateral hearing loss is granted.

The Board found no evidence of a right shoulder disability, headaches, sleep apnea, tinnitus, right hand disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, back disability, neuropathy, allergies, arthritis, or erectile dysfunction that were incurred in service. The Veteran's current conditions are not presumed to have been incurred due to the lack of showing within one year post-service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA medical examination and opinion to determine the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to engage in substantially gainful employment. The claim will be readjudicated after this development.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for further development and consideration by the Director of Compensation Service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his in-service noise exposure. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for either condition.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of right lower extremity neuropathy has been granted.,Service connection is now established for bilateral upper extremity diabetic neuropathy and tinnitus secondary to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are due to noise exposure during active service, and thus service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus are service connected, but his left ear hearing loss disability is not.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain new VA etiology opinions for the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The current opinions are deemed inadequate due to factual inaccuracies and lack of discussion regarding threshold shifts in hearing during service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records from the Veteran's Reserve service and providing medical opinions on various claims.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine his ability to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence showing these conditions were present during or within one year after service. The Board also found that the contemporaneous medical records are more probative than remote statements regarding when the Veteran first noticed hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's current tinnitus is found to be related to his military service, while his bilateral hearing loss is not considered to be related to his time in active duty.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete records and need for further examination.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board finds that the current evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings on all issues was denied. The Veteran is not entitled to a higher rating for PTSD, tinnitus, or the residuals of a stab wound to the abdomen with laparotomy and small bowel repair with scars as these conditions are already rated at their maximum levels under applicable VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and right ear hearing loss are service connected. However, his bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.