Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from March 4, 2013 to July 22, 2014. A TDIU is granted for this period.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, syncope, tinnitus and residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI) was dismissed as he withdrew his claim for service connection of headaches. The claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and syncope were reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and tinnitus, prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to July 27, 2017. The Board granted an extraschedular TDIU for this period.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it is linked to in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for the left knee disability, which is claimed to be secondary to a right ankle disability, was denied due to lack of evidence showing its onset during or within one year after service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions were not related to his military service.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, and the Board has denied a higher rating as it does not meet the criteria for total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected. The right wrist and bilateral hearing loss claims are remanded due to the failure to schedule appropriate VA examinations.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for various conditions, including adjustment disorder with depressed mood, eye condition, bronchitis, tenosynovitis, bilateral shoulder condition, degenerative joint disease of the spine, and degenerative joint disease of the right knee. The appeal for service connection for a bilateral leg condition was denied, as there is no current diagnosis of such a condition. Service connection for tinnitus was also denied due to lack of in-service noise exposure.

The Board has decided that the service connection for tinnitus should be remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its etiology.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has rendered him incapable of obtaining and maintaining a substantially gainful occupation since January 24, 2001. The Board granted an extraschedular TDIU for the entire appeal period.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hypertension are denied as not meeting the criteria for a disability rating under VA regulations.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the evidence does not show a chronic disease in service or continuous symptoms since service, nor did they become manifest to a compensable degree within one year of separation from service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to February 4, 2016.

The Board has remanded several claims for additional development, including obtaining missing service treatment records and VA treatment records. The Veteran's claims are also being remanded to determine the etiology of his claimed disabilities.,The Veteran is seeking to reopen several service connection claims related to herbicide exposure. These claims have been remanded due to outstanding medical records and further examination.

The Board has granted the reopening of the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disorder, tinnitus, and PTSD. The case is remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for an appropriate VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his military service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected, and his sensorineural hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,The Veteran's COPD, hypertensive heart disease, PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including memory disorder, major depression, and generalized anxiety), and erectile dysfunction are all remanded for further development.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding his left wrist disability, low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, calculus of the left ureter, and PTSD. The Veteran was granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability from September 27, 2007 to June 12, 2017.

The Board has found that the VA's duty to assist is triggered and remand is warranted for further development due to incomplete VA examinations regarding the Veteran's claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran seeks service connection for these conditions, which are related to a motorcycle accident during active duty.