Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure. Service connection for a back disorder is denied.

The Veteran's request for an effective date prior to May 1, 2012, for adding his child A.C.M. as a dependent was denied because the evidence of A.C.M.'s Social Security number was not received within one year of notification of the July 2006 rating decision.

The Veteran's appeals for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were dismissed due to his death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of in-service evidence of a hearing disability, but acknowledges that there is credible evidence of acoustic trauma due to significant noise exposure during service. The Veteran will be afforded a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of various conditions, including memory loss, bilateral hearing loss, sinus disability, skin disability, and increased ratings for chronic lower back pain with degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, and chronic nonallergic rhinitis. The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disability.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss for further development.

This decision grants the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus as secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The claim for reopening of a previously denied claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) is granted, based on new evidence indicating possible PTSD diagnosis. The claim for reopening of a previously denied claim for service connection for stomach disorder (claimed as GERD) is also granted, due to the presence of GERD diagnosis.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they did not manifest in service or within one year post-service, and there is no evidence of noise exposure during service. However, the Veteran has been granted secondary service connection for cirrhosis of the liver.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied due to lack of manifestation in service and failure to meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a T12 compression fracture, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence or further development is needed.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo. The conditions are found to be at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure during his time as a combat medic in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, pain disorder, and erectile dysfunction have been denied.,The Board found that the evidence did not establish a current disability for some of these conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus disability has been granted service connection as the symptoms have been continuous since service separation.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus due to potential issues with the reliability of audiometric testing results from a previous VA examination. The examiner is requested to provide an opinion on whether the current disabilities are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension (secondary to service-connected coronary artery disease) need further examination and evaluation. The case is being sent back to VA for a new examination.

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

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied them both. The claim for dental disorder to include residuals of mouth surgery was also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claim for service connection of a psychiatric disorder including PTSD is remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss but granted service connection for tinnitus. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible reports of noise exposure during service and his current symptoms.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was granted. However, both claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no persuasive evidence that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical evidence regarding their etiology. Additional development, including obtaining inpatient service treatment records and a VA examination, is required.