Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for migraine headaches, cervical spine injury, thoracic spine injury, and heat stroke residuals. The issues of service connection for tinnitus, bilateral shoulder condition, bilateral hip condition, bilateral foot condition, chronic fatigue syndrome, lung and chest pain/condition, and sleep apnea are also remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his in-service acoustic trauma. The effective date is not specified.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for hypertension due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and SMC based on aid and attendance was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support total social impairment due to PTSD, but rather a finding of occupational impairment.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is dismissed as moot because she has a combined 100 percent schedular rating for rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions, making her unemployability due to service-connected disabilities moot.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, right shoulder disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his service, specifically the noise exposure from rocket and artillery fire as well as military vehicles. As a result, service connection for tinnitus has been granted.

The Board has remanded the cases of tinnitus, left eye condition, and chipped tooth for further development. The Veteran's claims for these conditions are not currently decided.

The Board has denied requests for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for PTSD, left ankle disability, and tinnitus. The right knee disability was granted with an effective date of November 24, 2015, but the Veteran requested a prior effective date. The case is remanded to issue a Statement of the Case on this matter.

The Board has determined that a referral to the Director of Compensation Service is required for an extraschedular TDIU evaluation prior to March 1, 2016 due to plausible evidence indicating the Veteran's service-connected PTSD rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board dismissed the claim of service connection for tinnitus because it was granted by a previous rating decision. The heart condition issue is remanded due to lack of VA assistance in obtaining additional medical records and information regarding herbicide exposure.

The Board has dismissed the appeal regarding a 10% disability rating for tinnitus. The service connection claim for pneumothorax is remanded due to new evidence not raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The right knee and right eye disabilities, as well as PTSD, are also remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues including service connection for various conditions, and the reopening of claims for right knee disorder and left knee disorder. The Veteran's claims are now pending again.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's reported onset of tinnitus in service is sufficient to establish service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete records and the need for a new VA examination to assess the Veteran's ability to work due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various shoulder, knee, and cervical spine disabilities have been denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions.,Service connection has also not been granted for tinnitus due to lack of a current diagnosis.

The Veteran's claims for hypertension, tinnitus, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, headaches, sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy (left upper extremity), peripheral neuropathy (right upper extremity), peripheral neuropathy (sciatic nerve, left lower extremity), peripheral neuropathy (sciatic nerve, right lower extremity), and peripheral neuropathy (femoral nerve, left lower extremity) are all denied. The Board has remanded the claims for these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for adjustment disorder and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, left ankle disability, left foot disability, and TBI. The appeals for these issues are dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and sinusitis, but denied service connection for IBS. The claims of service connection for a disability manifesting as a cough, left foot disability, acquired psychiatric disability, initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, and initial compensable rating for acne are all remanded.