Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, but has granted service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected gout arthritis, hearing loss, tinnitus, and GERD disabilities preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right ear hearing loss condition and an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss condition is remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

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

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for lower back disorder, neck disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder, pneumonia, upper extremities disorder, lower extremities disorder, bones and joints disorder, dizziness, GERD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and erectile dysfunction. Additional development is needed to obtain complete service records and private medical records.

The Veteran's application for a clothing allowance due to wear and tear of his clothing from using a back brace was denied because the evidence did not show consistent use of the brace, which is required for the claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service and did not manifest within one year of discharge.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. Service connection for bilateral shoulder disorder, bilateral knee disorder, tinea pedis, acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), and bruxism are all denied.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus as there was no credible evidence of its onset during or immediately after military service, and current tinnitus has not been linked to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to outstanding VA treatment records from Heights Audiology not being associated with the record.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and consideration of audiometry findings.

The claim for service connection for BPPV has been reopened and granted. The Veteran's tinnitus is rated at the maximum schedular rating of 10%. Service connection for right eye disability, left eye disability, and compensation under 38 U.S.C. §1151 for a right eye disability are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between his current conditions and military service. A new VA examination is needed.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure. The Veteran's separation examination record is missing, so a VA examination will be scheduled to determine if he currently has these conditions and whether they are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The effective dates for hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and hypertension have been granted. The Board found that the evidence is in equipoise regarding the etiology of these conditions, thus granting service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, with evidence in equipoise as to whether these conditions were caused by exposure to loud noises during active duty. As a result, both claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for further development, including obtaining a new medical opinion regarding their relationship to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. His bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is rated at noncompensable and not considered for a higher rating due to the presence of his PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his in-service noise exposure and current tinnitus. The Veteran did not have continuous symptoms since service.