Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, right knee degenerative joint disease, right eye glaucoma, and hearing loss in both ears. The Veteran's claims were not supported by evidence of a nexus to service.,There is no credible evidence linking the current disabilities to service.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military noise exposure. The claim for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate examinations and conflicting evidence in the record. The Veteran needs a new examination to assess his PTSD severity, and an aid and attendance/housebound examination is also needed.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, lumbar back condition, tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and heart condition as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.,Service connection was also denied for high cholesterol and hypertension due to lack of disability for VA purposes.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a relationship to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was insufficient evidence to establish a link between the condition and his military service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to address tinnitus and sinusitis claims. The TDIU claim is also being remanded due to incomplete information.

The Board dismissed the appeals for hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as the appeal regarding an earlier effective date for coronary artery disease. The Veteran's claim of service connection for coronary artery disease was previously denied in February 2013 due to lack of evidence supporting his active service in Vietnam. However, a subsequent buddy statement and review of service treatment records indicated he served in Vietnam. The earliest possible effective date is June 20, 2016, the date the Veteran's petition to reopen his previously denied claim was received.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions were granted effective June 1, 2014. However, he did not receive payment for the month of June due to VA regulations requiring that payments begin on the first day of the month following the effective date.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are not related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus as the evidence does not support a current disability and there is no medical opinion linking it to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, median nerve paralysis (left hand), median nerve paralysis (right hand), carpal tunnel syndrome (left hand), and carpal tunnel syndrome (right hand).

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of bilateral tinnitus is supported by the evidence and affording him the benefit of reasonable doubt.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disability, left knee disability, and hypertension due to incomplete review of the record. Additional audiological opinions are needed regarding the onset and etiology of these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to December 9, 2011 for the grant of a TDIU rating as there was no evidence showing he was unable to engage in substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities before that date.

The Board denied service connection for a right foot disability, lumbar spine disability, tinnitus, sleep apnea, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. The Veteran did not have any diagnosed conditions related to these disabilities during his periods of active duty.,Service connection was denied as the evidence does not show that any current diagnoses are related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hemianopsia and refractive error, dry eye, eustachian tube dysfunction of the left ear, and tinnitus due to secondary service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's claim for benign lesion left vocal cord, post-operative remains denied as new and material evidence was not received.

The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative changes are not service-connected.,The Veteran's hypotension is not service-connected.,The Veteran's tinnitus is not service-connected.

The Veteran's right knee disability, left and right ear hearing loss disabilities, and tinnitus are all granted as service-connected. The lumbar spine disability is remanded for further development.

The Board has granted the Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The claim of entitlement to reopen a previously denied claim of service connection for squamous cell carcinoma is also granted. The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and ED as secondary to service-connected disabilities are remanded.