Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are related to his active service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for tinnitus has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss disability and tinnitus, but granted service connection for residuals of a laceration to the right fifth finger. The low back issue is not established.

The Board found that the Veteran's back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to service or any in-service injury. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and an increased rating for PTSD with alcohol dependence. The claim of entitlement to TDIU remains pending.

The Board has granted service connection for left shoulder disability, tinnitus, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's left shoulder disability is found to have been incurred in service due to a pre-existing injury that was aggravated by service. Tinnitus is presumed to be related to noise exposure during service. Hearing loss does not meet the VA criteria for a current disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for clarification from Dr. Timmons regarding his January 2012 examination findings, and for additional development concerning the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including traumatic arthritis of the left knee and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of July 25, 2016. The Board granted a TDIU effective from that date.

The Veteran's hypertension was not incurred or aggravated during service and is not related to a service-connected disorder. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for an increased rating for tinnitus.,The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss from January 30, 2014 to November 15, 2014 did not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to service connection and evaluation for tinnitus and migraine headaches. Additional development is required.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need to obtain his employment records from Kraft Foods Inc. and provide an addendum opinion regarding whether his current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran was exposed to noise during service and has reported tinnitus since then. The Board finds that the evidence supports a grant of service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus. The claims are now pending for further development.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim is dismissed as he withdrew his appeal. The Board grants service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service in Thailand.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service, and therefore grants entitlement to service connection for tinnitus. The right ear hearing loss and right knee disorder claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is secondary to his service-connected hearing loss, which was caused by in-service noise exposure. As a result, the appeal for service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board found that the submitted evidence since the July 2009 final denial is essentially cumulative of the evidence previously of record with regard to the basis for the prior denial, and thus did not meet the criteria for reopening any of the Veteran's claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.