Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran does not have a diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss as defined by VA standards. The Board also granted service connection for tinnitus, attributing it to military noise exposure.,Service connection was established based on the Veteran's credible and consistent reports of tinnitus beginning during his active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because he does not have a current disability. The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted as his MOS exposure to noise during service caused his tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for tinnitus is denied, and his claim for a compensable rating for erectile dysfunction (ED) is granted. The ED has been rated at the maximum allowable schedular rating of 20 percent.

The Veteran's claims for hypertension, high cholesterol, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been remanded due to the need for further development.,Claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are also pending.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, vision defect, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, polyps (presumed due to herbicide exposure), and gastritis. Additional development is needed to determine if these conditions are related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities or other factors.

The Veteran's tinnitus was not shown to be related to service, as there were no complaints or findings of tinnitus in STRs and the VA examiner found no connection between the Veteran’s tinnitus and service. The Board finds that the Veteran is not credible for his statements regarding onset of tinnitus in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The case is remanded to obtain an opinion on the etiology of sleep apnea, which may be secondary to hypertension.

The Board found that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's tinnitus began during his active duty service, thus granting service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim to reopen his previously denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability. However, it has denied both the service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for a left finger or hand condition and tinnitus, finding no current disability related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to outstanding VA treatment records and a need for a new medical opinion.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and TDIU due to PTSD. The earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for PTSD, hearing loss, and tinnitus have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence that the conditions were related to active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his request for an increased evaluation of PTSD and entitlement to TDIU, have all been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of current hearing loss or tinnitus disabilities during the appeal period, and that the Veteran’s PTSD does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's cause of death was not related to his time in service or to Agent Orange exposure. Service connection for the cause of death is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions regarding his psychiatric disability, hearing loss, and service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, specifically because of potential noise exposure during service. The VA examiner will need to review a field study from 1990 that suggests manual Morse code operators may have been exposed to hazardous noise levels.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertriglyceridemia is denied as it does not constitute a disability for VA compensation purposes.,The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to April 26, 2011, for service connection for PTSD and tinnitus are denied due to lack of communication indicating intent to file a claim prior to the date of receipt of his formal claims forms.,The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD is remanded as additional VA examination records are needed.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of right tibia fracture and low back disability is remanded due to missing service treatment records and the need for a more detailed etiological opinion.,No effective date prior to April 26, 2011, was granted as no communication indicating intent to file a claim prior to that date was received.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are rated at 100 percent combined, and the Board finds that these conditions reasonably preclude his participation in substantially gainful employment.