Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including an examination and adjudication of CUE issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of right knee injury are related to service. However, due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and continuity of these conditions during service, the claims for bilateral hearing loss and residuals of right knee injury (secondary to service-connected right ankle disability) have been remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted, and the claims for COPD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and TBI are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral flatfeet, left ear hearing loss, COPD, and tinnitus. The issues of entitlement to service connection for a low back disorder, left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, sleep apnea, and CHF are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for back disability, tinnitus, and depressive disorder. The Veteran's bilateral pes planus is rated at 50 percent, which is the maximum under DC 5276. The Veteran’s skin condition (tinea pedis and onychomycosis) does not meet a compensable rating criteria. The Veteran's hallux valgus of both feet are assigned zero percent disability ratings.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, major depressive disorder, epilepsy, and TBI due to radiation exposure. The claims will be further developed with new examinations and verification of service-related exposures.

The Veteran's PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are granted service connection. However, GERD is not related to military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the issues of service connection for low back disability and TDIU are remanded due to outstanding private records.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and active military service. The Veteran's MOS as an Artillery Officer is considered to have a high risk of noise exposure, but there is no medical opinion linking his current hearing loss or tinnitus directly to service.,The Board has also denied service connection for left arm weakness and right arm weakness, noting that the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and active military service. The Veteran's MOS as an Artillery Officer is considered to have a high risk of noise exposure, but there is no medical opinion linking his current arm weaknesses directly to service.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus has been dismissed. The Board has also remanded the issues regarding service connection for post-concussive syndrome/TBI, headaches, anxiety disorder with insomnia, and lumbar spine disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is etiologically related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. The right knee disability and bilateral hearing loss claims are denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to an inadequate rationale in the July 2017 VA opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss, and remanded the claims of service connection for PTSD and TDIU. The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have begun during active service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and urinary disorder have been granted. The claim for urinary disorder is remanded due to the need to obtain relevant medical records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left shoulder disorder, left ear hearing loss, and right ear hearing loss due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claims for tinnitus are also remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the pending hearing loss claims.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his in-service combat-related noise exposure. The claims were reopened due to new evidence showing continuity of symptomatology since service.

Your service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have already been granted, so the appeals are dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.