Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee condition, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support its onset during active service or being related to an in-service injury.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable under Diagnostic Code 6100 due to his speech recognition scores and average pure tone thresholds.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a psychiatric disorder due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to October 9, 2015 for the grant of service connection for bilateral tinnitus and hearing loss were denied. The Board found that no earlier effective date could be granted due to lack of evidence of a claim before October 9, 2015.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss was remanded as the current evaluation does not reflect the severity of his condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The claims for service connection for a right cheek condition, respiratory condition, nerve damage to the chin, and residuals of wisdom teeth removal have been dismissed.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss has not been established.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for seizures has been reopened, but the Board finds that COPD and tinnitus were not related to his military service. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of tinnitus and effective dates for bilateral hearing loss have also been remanded.,Service connection was denied for COPD and sleep apnea.

The Veteran's petition to reopen her service connection claims for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD has been granted. She is now entitled to these claims.,Service connection for a back disability, hypertension, migraine headaches, obstructive sleep apnea, heart condition, bilateral hearing loss, recurrent tinnitus, left foot condition, and right foot condition are all denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not found to warrant a rating in excess of 80 percent, special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance was denied, and the Veteran was not granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a private hospital on September 9, 2015 are granted as the treatment was rendered in a medical emergency of such nature that delay would have been hazardous to life or health and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that his functional impairments due to these conditions are not severe enough to prevent him from securing employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow any form of substantially gainful employment, and his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate etiological opinions regarding the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The VA examiner provided negative nexus opinions based on inconsistencies with medical literature.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and tinnitus have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for intervertebral disc syndrome and tinnitus have been dismissed due to his death during the appeal process.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, right ear hearing loss disability, tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea, and skin condition to the lips (claimed as dry mouth), all secondary to existing service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's asthma with COPD is rated at 100%.

The Veteran's tinnitus is currently assigned a 10 percent rating, which is the maximum rating available for tinnitus under Diagnostic Code 6260. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability and bilateral hearing loss are both remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as secondary to exposure to herbicide agents. Service connection for tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it arose within one year of active military service and has been recurrent since then. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is remanded for further examination.