Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

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

The Veteran's appeals for various conditions and ratings have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions. The claims are pending until further action is taken.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted, and his right and left ankle disabilities are each rated at 20 percent. The decision also grants increased ratings for the right and left ankles.

The Board denied service connection for a chronic low back disorder and tinnitus, finding that the disorders were not incurred in or related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions. The issues include service connection for a low back disability, bilateral knee disabilities, radiculopathy, onychomycosis of the toenails, and a skin disorder (claimed as peeling skin on fingers).

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issue of a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his hearing loss.

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

The appeal for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus is dismissed. Headaches are not productive of prostrating attacks and do not warrant a compensable rating. Service connection for left knee strain and right knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of such conditions during service or related to service. The Veteran's current right knee disability is remanded due to the lack of a diagnosis in the medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service. The evidence supports a link between the Veteran's exposure to loud noise during service and his present conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, but has remanded the issues of left ear hearing loss and tinnitus due to conflicting medical opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown as chronic in service or within one year of separation, and there is no evidence to support a finding that these conditions are related to military noise exposure. The Board therefore denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and thus grants his claim for TDIU.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is insufficient evidence to establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of September 10, 2015 for his TDIU award as there was no evidence showing he was unemployable prior to that date due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, migraine headaches, conjunctivitis, and sinusitis have been granted. Additionally, the Veteran has been awarded a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding these conditions and their relationship to service.

The Veteran's claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities was denied because the effective date of February 1, 2018 is not earlier than that date.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, and tinnitus have all been denied. The Board found no credible evidence to support the claimed in-service stressors for PTSD, and there is insufficient medical evidence linking any diagnosed psychiatric disorders to service.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder is rated at 50 percent effective July 6, 2010. The Board denied entitlement to TDIU prior to February 7, 2019 and denied an earlier effective date for DEA benefits.