Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the Board found that his conditions are not related to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for consideration of entitlement to a higher initial rating for tinnitus, including on an extraschedular basis, and/or entitlement to a TDIU. The case will be returned to the Board after completion of the requested actions.

The Board has granted effective dates of December 1, 2005 for the award of TDIU and DEA eligibility under accrued benefits purposes.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as to consider any new evidence submitted since the last decision.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are found to be etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, thus denying these claims.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have had its onset during service and is related to his in-service noise exposure, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his active service, including exposure to hazardous noise during that time.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his educational and occupational background. Therefore, the claim for TDIU is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, granting him entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The September 2010 VA examination found that the Veteran has normal hearing through 2000 Hz, with a mild to moderate sensorineural loss from 3000 to 4000 Hz in the right ear and a moderately-severe to severe sensorineural hearing loss from 3000 to 4000 Hz in the left ear. The examiner concluded that the Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not associated with his hearing loss, but less likely than not due to military noise exposure.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for a back disability. The Veteran's current diagnosis of lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD) is related to her active duty service.,For bilateral hearing loss, the Board finds that there is no competent medical evidence showing a nexus between the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and her current right ear hearing loss. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral tinnitus is as likely as not due to noise exposure during his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran requested the withdrawal of his appeal, and the Board has dismissed the appeals.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they had their onset during his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus had its onset in service and the Board has determined that it is related to his military service. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not found, but he must be afforded a new VA examination to determine if he currently has hearing loss for VA purposes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and providing a supplemental VA examination for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than July 20, 2009, for the grant of service connection for tinnitus is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, with the latter being proximately due to his now service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher initial rating for tinnitus, and his petitions to reopen claims for back and neck conditions were also denied due to lack of new and material evidence.