Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2017

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus should be remanded due to a need for additional examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted TDIU.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be service-connected, and he is granted a 20 percent rating for his left knee meniscal disability with painful limited motion. He is also granted a 20 percent rating for his left knee instability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the etiology of his tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. As such, both conditions have been granted service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the previously denied service connection claims for migraines, tinnitus, a bilateral hand disability (left and right), a left foot disability, an eye disability, a neck disability, a back disability, and a bilateral arm disability. The Veteran's claims of service connection remain denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to service, granting his claims for these disabilities.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have started during service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents and the condition did not manifest during or within one year after service. The Veteran's TDIU claim was also denied due to lack of sufficient additional service-connected disability to bring his combined rating to 70 percent or more.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as her claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities, stroke, PTSD, depression, and cause of death. The Board found that no earlier effective date was warranted due to lack of evidence showing entitlement prior to February 23, 2011.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left total knee arthroplasty and left knee impairment lateral instability, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, right thumb fracture, and tinnitus, do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus is at least in equipoise with her in-service noise exposure. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 6, 2014.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause his death. The appellant is seeking DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, but the criteria for this benefit have not been met as the Veteran was not rated at a 100% disability level continuously for at least ten years immediately preceding his death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have fibromyalgia, tinnitus, or bilateral hearing loss. For PTSD, the rating assigned is 50 percent prior to February 25, 2017, and in excess of 50 percent thereafter, which means the claim for an increased rating is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus cannot be granted as there is no evidence of a nexus between his current disabilities and his military service.