Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, but determined that new evidence supports reopening of his claim for mid-back disability. The clothing allowance claim was denied as there is no indication that the Veteran uses a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance due to any service-connected condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of his current hearing loss, skin (PFB), PTSD, left patellar tendon tendinosis, lumbar strain with mild degenerative joint disease, and left little finger boutonniere deformity and left index finger central slip injury to extensor mechanism.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to have started during his active service, warranting the grant of service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not related to her active duty service, and grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current tinnitus is the result of noise exposure during his active military service, and thus grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to new audiograms and additional development is required before a decision can be made.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that these conditions are etiologically related to the Veteran's active duty service. The claim for service connection for a disability manifested by dizziness and light-headedness is remanded due to inadequate medical examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining audiogram results and scheduling a new VA audiology examination. The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus will be reconsidered.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are a result of hazardous noise exposure during active duty for training (ACDUTRA) in his aviation occupation, which aggravated any pre-existing conditions. The decision grants service connection for these disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death. The claims for higher ratings for hearing loss and tinnitus, service connection for MDD, and reopening of the low back disability claim are no longer before the Board.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not render him unemployable, as he has maintained employment in the past and continues to report being able to work despite his disabilities. The Board finds that a TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in service and is denied.,Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine and tinnitus were granted with effective dates of March 6, 2009.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo and TDIU prior to June 25, 2014. The Veteran's vertigo was not found to be related to his service or a service-connected disability. For TDIU, the evidence did not show that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable prior to June 25, 2014.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an opinion on the impact of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities on his employability and considering whether TDIU is warranted on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has determined that the earliest date of entitlement for service connection and an effective date for tinnitus is May 25, 2010. The Veteran reported experiencing tinnitus on this date in a VA QTC medical history worksheet.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for TBI, tinnitus, and post-traumatic headaches were denied. However, he was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or significant threshold shifts. The VA examiner concluded that it is less likely than not that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus were caused by military noise exposure.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are found to be related to his in-service noise exposure.,Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus.