Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, ischemic heart disease, right eye enucleation, and other conditions, are found to preclude substantially gainful employment prior to March 2, 2016.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss but granted service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's current hearing loss is not related to noise exposure during service, while his tinnitus began during service.

Service connection is granted for tinnitus and the Veteran's back condition. The case has been remanded to obtain additional records and schedule a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to an inadequate VA examination. The examiner is asked to provide a new opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown to be related to his military service.,His left shoulder, right shoulder, low back, multiple joint pain, and eye disorder (claimed as lack of depth perception) conditions are also not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus due to outstanding records not being associated with the VBMS and Virtual VA/Legacy files. The appellant served in the Coast Guard Reserve from 1974 to 1978, but his records are missing. Additionally, Delta Airlines' 1978 hearing test record is needed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder and a left knee disability, have been denied. The rating for diabetes mellitus remains unchanged.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and remanded the case for further examination regarding tinnitus.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical evidence and to provide the Veteran with an appropriate VA examination regarding his claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD and cervical spine disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted TDIU based on the benefit of the doubt.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disability during or within one year after service and that the current tinnitus is more likely due to eustachian tube dysfunction rather than noise exposure in service.

The Veteran's appeal of the initial disability ratings for tinnitus, PTSD with major depressive disorder prior to March 7, 2016, lumbar arthritis, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, and left ear hearing loss has been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal for tinnitus. The remaining issues are being remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and examination due to concerns about the adequacy of previous VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus on an accrued benefits or substitution basis due to a failure of the AOJ to ascertain whether the appellant desires to pursue these claims on either a substitute or accrued benefits basis. The appellant is given another opportunity to provide additional information and/or evidence pertinent to the claims, including notification about missing service treatment records.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected, with the conditions believed to have occurred during his first period of active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and other conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of August 10, 2009. The Board granted an effective date of August 10, 2009 for the grant of Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claims for automobile and adaptive equipment, as well as specially adapted housing or special home adaptation are being remanded due to the need for more recent VA examinations to assess his current disability levels.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied, while his claim for tinnitus is granted. The issue of service connection for a hematological condition (including anemia, neutropenia, and history of sickle cell trait) has been remanded.