Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of evidence showing in-service injury or disease, continuity of symptomatology, or etiology. The Veteran's conditions are not considered presumptively related to military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as secondary to her service-connected temporomandibular joint syndrome. Her hypertension and acne are denied due to lack of evidence showing a current disability or aggravation beyond its natural progression. The back and right knee disabilities, as well as the skin condition (eczema or dermatitis), are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of April 3, 2012. The Board granted his claim for TDIU effective from April 2, 2013.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability.,Service connection for bilateral tinnitus is granted, with the exception that the Board finds it in equipoise whether the condition is related to military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches as secondary to his service-connected tinnitus.

The Veteran's hepatitis C is granted as service connected, with the condition first diagnosed in 1993 and linked to his military service via air gun inoculations. The other conditions are denied due to lack of a current diagnosis or no evidence linking them to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are at least in equipoise as to whether they render him unemployable, and the Board has granted a TDIU. The right and left knee disabilities remain remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's hearing loss and lumbar spine disability are rated at 20 percent each, resulting in a combined rating of 70 percent. The Board has granted a total disability rating due to unemployability (TDIU) based on the service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for left ankle disability, right ankle disability, and tinnitus have been denied. The claims for bilateral pes planus and residuals of a right foot injury have been reopened due to new evidence. A psychiatric disability claim requires additional information.

Service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss disability of the right ear is granted.,The appeal to reopen service connection for hearing loss in the left ear, as well as service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD) are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are denied as there is no evidence of a claim prior to the effective dates assigned. The appeals for earlier effective dates are also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus because the new evidence submitted did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Veteran's DDD with spondylolisthesis of L5-S1 is restored to a 40 percent rating.,Service connection for depressive disorder, sleep apnea, and headaches are granted as secondary to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as secondary to his service-connected left ear hearing loss. However, the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his left ear hearing loss remains denied.

The appeal is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for service connection and higher ratings for various disabilities, including tinnitus, a heart condition, bilateral hearing loss, right lumbar radiculopathy, right hip disability, major depressive disorder, neck disability, low back disability, and right knee disability. The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address these issues.,The Veteran's claims are being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his service-connected disabilities, including tinnitus and heart condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone do not render him unemployable, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus began in service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's military noise exposure during service.