Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Board has decided that another remand is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities due to a failure to appear at scheduled VA examinations. The issues are being returned to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied as his combined disability rating does not meet the criteria for a TDIU and he is still capable of securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's right ring finger disability is characterized by pain and limitation of motion, but she is already in receipt of the highest possible disability rating for her ankylosis.,Service connection for tinnitus has been granted based on credible lay evidence that the Veteran experienced ringing in her ears during service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 17, 2017 for additional compensation for a dependent child based on school attendance is granted. The earliest possible effective date is January 17, 2017.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including left foot/ankle sprain and callouses of the feet, hearing loss, tinnitus, and gastroenteritis, are not etiologically related to his active duty service.,Service connection for cervical spinal stenosis and upper respiratory disorder is remanded as further medical opinion is needed.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete information and need for additional examinations.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as whether they are related to service.

The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete service records and inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases of sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and the reopening of a nervous condition claim due to outstanding requests for DRO hearings. The Veteran's representative requested a videoconference DRO hearing but it has not been held yet.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent, effective from the date of this decision. The Veteran also received a grant for TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or were related to an in-service event, injury, or disease.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Veteran's disability rating for bilateral hearing loss remains at 80 percent.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is denied as his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded to obtain a new VA examination.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that the Veteran's conditions did not preclude him from all forms of substantially gainful employment prior to December 23, 2016.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral recurrent tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are causally related to in-service loud noise exposure. The decision is based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for updated evidence and a comprehensive examination to determine if his service-connected disabilities, individually or collectively, have precluded him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The left knee and bilateral hearing loss disability claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted, but his claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) was denied.