Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for tinnitus, hearing loss, and COPD to allow for further development of evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of chronic disability within one year post-service separation or a link to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, migraine headache disability, herpes disability, sleep disorder, athlete’s foot, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, low back strain disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, plantar fasciitis, and shin splints have been denied.,The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for his right and left eye disabilities due to incomplete information.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection, but his right ear hearing loss is denied. The hypertension claim is remanded for further analysis.

The Board denied the petitions to reopen claims for service connection for various conditions, including degenerative arthritis of the spine, bilateral hand condition, tinnitus, hearing loss, left hip disability, and right leg disability. The decisions were based on a lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied service connection for left ankle sprain, right ankle disability, and tinnitus as there was no evidence of a current disability or in-service disease/injury related to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus, low back condition, left and right ankle disabilities, bilateral knee conditions, and bilateral hearing loss due to potential issues with the adequacy of previous VA examinations.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for a compensable rating for fracture of the ring finger, right hand; service connection for tinnitus; and service connection for left knee disability due to his withdrawal of these appeals prior to the issuance of a final decision.

The Board has granted service connection for right-sided hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied the claim of left-sided hearing loss due to lack of a current disability.

The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and the Board denied both DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 and service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not show a nexus between his current hearing loss and in-service noise exposure.,Service connection was granted for tinnitus, with the Board finding that the Veteran's testimony supported a link to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of hearing loss and tinnitus for further examination and opinion. The Veteran's claims are being reviewed due to inadequate opinions provided in his March 2015 VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for hemorrhoids. The remaining issues of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, EAC (skin condition), and a right knee condition are remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to October 19, 2017 for hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of an earlier notice of intent to file or application for service connection.

The Board has determined that the VA examination provided in August 2016 is inadequate to fairly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The decision is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion considering both ASA and ISO-ANSI standards, as well as a specific medical article.

The Veteran's service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is denied. The claim for a higher initial disability rating for tinnitus remains pending, as does the referral for TDIU due to tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that it is not related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Board has found the audiologist's opinion inadequate and remanded for further action on the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran is presumed to have been in sound condition upon entry into active duty, but her left ear hearing loss may be related to service due to a pre-existing condition. Right ear hearing loss is also considered as possibly related to service based on noise exposure.