Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for a low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder), and a sleep disorder. The claims are being remanded to allow for further examination and consideration.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the causes of his disabilities. The 1151 claim is also remanded as there is insufficient evidence on whether VA negligence caused or aggravated the Veteran's right knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus as it did not find a causal relationship between the condition and military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient examination reports and lack of private treatment records. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for dyslipidemia as it is a laboratory finding, not a disability. Other issues are remanded for further development.

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 denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus, finding that no evidence prior to April 23, 2014 may be construed as a formal or informal claim.

The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions. The Veteran's exposure to noise in service is established, but his current hearing loss and tinnitus may not be related to service based on the 2014 VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied left ear hearing loss. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible reports of in-service noise exposure and continuity of symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar spine disability (intervertebral disc disease), bilateral knee disability, sleep apnea, and prostate cancer are all denied as there is no evidence of a nexus to service.,Service treatment records do not document any complaints or treatment related to these conditions during the Veteran's active duty.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of September 18, 2013 for service connection for tinnitus, patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee, patellofemoral pain syndrome, right knee, acromioclavicular joint separation, left shoulder, and acromioclavicular joint separation, right shoulder.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, as well as increased ratings for lumbar spine DDD, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee pain with mild patellofemoral degenerative changes, left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, residual scar of hernia operation (right inguinal area), and painful residual scar of hernia operation (left inguinal area).

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's preexisting conditions were aggravated by his military service. The claim for secondary service connection for tinnitus is also granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence regarding their relationship to service. The Veteran's current hearing loss is not related to in-service noise exposure, but may be otherwise related to service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected. However, due to an inadequate VA examination for hearing loss and a need for clarification of the Veteran's exposure during service, the issue of service connection for hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records from his Army National Guard and Navy Reserve periods of service. The Veteran is asked to provide information about these periods so that VA can obtain any missing records.

Your claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been resolved in your favor, but the appeal is dismissed as there are no longer any unresolved issues to review.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU.

The Board has granted a TDIU from July 28, 2010 to February 19, 2015 based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran is unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities of PTSD, CAD, and tinnitus. The Board finds that the criteria for a TDIU have been met.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The VA examination must be conducted with specific attention to whether these conditions are related to active duty for training or inactive duty for training.