Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to unsuccessful scheduling for a VA examination while incarcerated.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and abscess (claimed as boils) due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's service connection claim for these conditions is not granted.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they are related to noise exposure during service. The case will be reviewed with an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD have been denied. The claim for service connection for a heart condition has not met the criteria. The Veteran's PTSD was increased to 50% effective September 29, 2010. The claim for sleep apnea is reopened.

The Board denied service connection for a lower back condition but granted service connection for tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has denied service connection for dyslipidemia and has remanded the remaining issues related to spine conditions, joint disorders, hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, GERD, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than April 13, 2016, for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no prior unadjudicated claim.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with radiculopathy to bilateral lower extremities has been reopened and granted. Service connection is denied for tinnitus.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected, with the conditions likely due to noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and pes planus due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no link between these conditions and his military service. The claim for stuttering on a secondary basis to hearing loss was also remanded as it cannot be granted without first resolving the denial of service connection for hearing loss.,The Board found that while the Veteran reported a history of stuttering or stammering, there is no evidence of a current stuttering disability at entry into service. Therefore, he is presumed to have been in sound condition upon entrance.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and the need for further examination. The claims will be reviewed again with the additional information.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus, traumatic brain injury residuals, thoracolumbar spine disorder, and sinusitis have been granted. The claim for service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disorder is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo due to incomplete service records. The Veteran's current diagnoses of mild bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and occasional positional vertigo are noted in the medical record.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the inability to obtain or sustain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim.,Service connection cannot be established as there is no current diagnosis or evidence linking any claimed conditions to active service.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the award of a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD with panic attacks and major depressive disorder is denied. The Board found that any attempt to raise this issue now would be a freestanding claim for an effective date, which is not allowed under law.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of current right ear hearing loss disability. The claim for left ear hearing loss was granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's tinnitus, specifically his exposure to noise during service.