Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2017

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection and his residuals of compression fracture of T-12 of the thoracolumbar spine are denied an increased rating.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a left ankle disability. The appeal of these three issues is dismissed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a low back condition due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus during service, and there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure. The claim for service connection for these conditions cannot be granted as direct service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected and granted a rating of 10 percent.,For his left knee lateral collateral alignment reconstruction and repair, the Veteran was granted an increased rating to 10 percent effective September 2, 2009.,For his peroneal nerve injury, left lower extremity prior to March 3, 2016, the Veteran was granted a disability rating of 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus was denied. The claim of service connection for left ear tinnitus may not be reopened as new and material evidence has not been received. The Veteran withdrew his appeal seeking a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and VA clinic records.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service, while his bilateral hearing loss may be related to service-connected posttraumatic headache disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU as they do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection, but compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for atrial fibrillation and cerebrovascular accident due to abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery performed on September 15, 2010, was denied.,Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is not granted as the proximate cause of additional disability or death was not reasonably foreseeable and informed consent was provided.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a diagnosis within one year of separation from active service. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder remains pending as it was not addressed by the RO.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities. The combined rating was found insufficient to meet the criteria for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's heart condition and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated during a qualifying period of active military service, and there is no showing of herbicide exposure. The Board denied the claims for service connection.

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 are of such severity as to preclude substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience, thus meeting the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of tinnitus and an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence to support earlier effective dates based on the statutory and regulatory requirements.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The case has been REMANDED due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence in the current examination report. The Veteran's noise exposure during service is considered, but a new VA medical opinion is needed to determine if his current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to this exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus in November 2013. The Veteran did not appeal this decision, making it final. New evidence submitted since then does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, colitis, tinnitus, and vertigo with dizziness, prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU rating based on this finding.