Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities did not manifest in service or within one year of separation from active duty service, and they are not otherwise related to his active duty service. Therefore, the claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The evidence now shows that the Veteran experienced acoustic trauma during his military service, leading to current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are service-connected, but his atrial fibrillation is not.

The Veteran's tinnitus is considered a 'chronic disease' under VA regulations and granted presumptive service connection based on in-service acoustic trauma during combat service.

The Board has determined that a new medical opinion is needed to address the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus claims, as the in-service audiometric findings need to be considered under both ASA and ISO-ANSI standards.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disorder is due to injury superimposed upon his congenital scoliosis during service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities have been evaluated at the lowest possible ratings, with no evidence of exceptional or unusual impairment warranting higher ratings. The claim for increased ratings is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, which are related to in-service noise exposure. Additional development is needed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his noise exposure during active duty service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and prostate cancer. The Board denied service connection for a back disorder, right wrist condition, bilateral arm condition, and bilateral leg condition.

The Board found that the Veteran does not currently have tinnitus and did not find credible his inconsistent reports of current symptoms. The Board also found no evidence linking any current tinnitus to service, including in-service noise exposure. Therefore, service connection for tinnitus was denied.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. With reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, the criteria for entitlement to service connection have been met for both conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence received since the final November 2009 RO rating decision relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims. The Board also granted service connection for both conditions based on in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, as his hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown to be related to service. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's hearing loss is more likely due to presbycusis (normal aging process) rather than in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss is denied as there is no current evidence of a hearing disability meeting VA criteria.,The effective dates for the grants of service connection for PTSD, GERD, and tinnitus are both April 22, 2013, which is one year prior to the date the claim was received.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD or a disability rating greater than 10 percent for GERD. The Veteran does not have total occupational and social impairment due to his PTSD, nor has he demonstrated symptom combinations productive of considerable or severe impairment of health due to his GERD.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are rated 90 percent disabling and prevent him from obtaining and retaining gainful employment for which he would otherwise be qualified. Therefore, the criteria for a TDIU have been met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The respiratory disorder claim has been found not to be supported by evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since the appeal period began, and there is no evidence of total social or occupational impairment.,The Veteran was not found to be unemployable prior to September 9, 2015. She had full-time employment with Alpha Plastics until her assignment ended.