Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is at least a reasonable doubt in favor of these conditions being related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence linking the condition to military noise exposure. Service connection was granted for tinnitus, as there is a documented history of tinnitus symptoms since service.

The Board has denied service connection for hepatitis and remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence of a current disability related to military service.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic back pain, tinnitus, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's chronic low back pain is related to his military service, while his tinnitus is also related to his military service. However, the evidence does not support a finding that his bilateral hearing loss began during service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to his military service. However, it denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of audiometric findings meeting VA criteria.

The Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in service and is not otherwise related to service. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding of chronic tinnitus since service or tinnitus that is otherwise related to service.

The Board dismissed the appeals for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they are no longer relevant due to the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of entitlement prior to the specified dates. The decision also noted that the Veteran did not have a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient consideration of in-service noise exposure when evaluating tinnitus. A new VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's current tinnitus disability is related to his service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence of a link between the conditions and service, including noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypertension due to inadequate etiological opinions in the original decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU based on this finding.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU is denied as his combined disability rating does not meet the criteria for a TDIU. The appeal of the February 2012 rating decision assigning an effective date for tinnitus is denied due to untimeliness.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is presumed to be related to exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange) in Korea. His bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are also granted as they were aggravated during service.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus and his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the cases of Right Shoulder Disability, Low Back Disability, and Right Leg Disability for additional development. The hearing loss and tinnitus claims have been denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and tinnitus, rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since May 14, 2013. The Board granted a total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective from that date.

The Board has dismissed all issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims for various disabilities, as the appellant died during the appeal process.