Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to in-service exposure to acoustic trauma.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to unclear dates of service, need for clarification on exposure basis, and need for a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining treatment records from Vet Centers and SSA examination reports. The issues of higher staged initial ratings for PTSD and TDIU prior to February 10, 2014 are inextricably intertwined.

The Board denied service connection for low-back disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus as the Veteran's conditions are not shown to be related to his military service.,Service connection was also denied because there is no evidence of a chronic disease or injury during active duty service. The Veteran's current conditions were found to have developed post-service.

The Veteran's arthritis, left shoulder disability, and other joint disabilities are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year after service.,Service connection for a left shoulder disability was denied because the Veteran did not have a chronic condition in service or within the applicable presumptive period.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it is considered a chronic disease shown during service, and the Board found in favor of granting service connection due to the presumption under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(a).

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus is at least as likely as not related to a head injury sustained during active service. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of evidence meeting VA criteria.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not service-connected as it was present at the time of enlistment and did not increase in severity during his ACDUTRA period. However, the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected as it is related to noise exposure during his ACDUTRA service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as secondary to her service-connected right ear hearing loss. The issue of an initial compensable rating for her right ear hearing loss is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and service, including noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, as well as failure to establish a nexus between his conditions and military service.

The Board has determined a 70 percent initial disability rating is warranted for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder for the period prior to February 21, 2015. For the period beginning February 21, 2015, an increased rating higher than 70 percent is denied. The Veteran also received a grant of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient information on their etiology.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, but the Board finds that an initial rating higher than 70 percent is not warranted. The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was withdrawn by the Veteran prior to any decision being made.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and assigned a 100% rating effective from August 1, 2018.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a relationship to service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as secondary to his service-connected tinnitus, must be remanded due to insufficient evidence and need for a new opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a right hip and right knee disabilities, as well as tinnitus, to obtain additional medical opinions addressing whether these conditions are secondary to his service-connected left knee and/or left hip disabilities.,Tinnitus was denied due to lack of evidence showing it is related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression). The Veteran's bilateral tinnitus was found to be caused by military noise exposure. Service connection is also granted for the Veteran's diagnosed PTSD and depression.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not found to be related to service.,His lumbar spine disorder, left shoulder disorder, cardiomyopathy, hair loss, headache disorder, and COPD were also not found to be related to service.