Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination reports and a need for further medical evaluation regarding the relationship between the Veteran's headaches, including as secondary to service-connected tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service. The Veteran's hearing loss was attributed to non-service-connected discharge conditions, while his tinnitus onset post-service.

The Veteran's claims for right and left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, bilateral foot disability (claimed as pes planus/pain), headaches, and a psychiatric disorder have been denied. The Board has found that the evidence does not support service connection for these conditions.,Further evaluation is needed to determine if the Veteran has current diagnoses of these conditions or their residuals.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability. The maximum schedular rating of 10 percent for tinnitus has been assigned.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for respiratory condition and sleep apnea are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and evidence collection.,Service connection for a respiratory condition is denied as there is no current diagnosis, and the claim for sleep apnea is remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for right upper extremity, left upper extremity, right lower extremity, and left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, as well as tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, are denied effective date prior to March 1, 2016.,The Veteran's claim for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with depressive disorder, NOS and alcohol abuse in partial remission is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.,The Veteran's claim for chloracne with icepick scars not disabling is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.,The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus type II is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.,The Veteran's claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance prior to March 1, 2016 is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.

The Veteran's tinnitus was first reported during active service and has persisted, warranting the grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were denied, but his claim for tinnitus was reopened. The claims for hypertension are remanded.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability and tinnitus have been granted service connection, with the psychiatric condition being determined to be directly related to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's active service included noise exposure as a Morse code intercept operator, but his pre-discharge audiograms showed normal hearing. The Veteran reported experiencing symptoms of hearing loss and tinnitus since his military service, with the first documented evidence in 1987 for hearing loss and in the 1980s for tinnitus.

The Board has denied service connection for left and right ankle disorders, as well as bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran's claims are remanded for a more recent examination of his lumbar radiculopathy.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral tinnitus disability began during active service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition. The remaining issues of service connection for hearing loss, lumbosacral strain, and right knee disabilities are remanded due to need for additional development.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active duty service and has been granted. The Board has found the evidence insufficient to establish a link between the neck disability and low back disability and the Veteran's military service, thus remanding for further examination.

The Veteran is granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not related to his service, and therefore grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for a rating greater than 10 percent for tinnitus has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 9, 2014 for tinnitus has been denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and seizures have been remanded for further development.

The appeal for a higher rating for traumatic brain injury residuals is dismissed. The claim for a higher rating for tinnitus remains denied as the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent has been in effect.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected. However, the issue of bilateral hearing loss remains under consideration as a remanded matter.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have begun in service and is presumed to be related to that exposure, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's back disability claim is remanded for additional development. The cause of death claim is also remanded to obtain an autopsy report and a medical opinion on the cause of death.