Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a chronic disease in service or within one year of service, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptoms since service.,For PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder, the Veteran received an initial 70% rating effective December 23, 2015. However, his claim for an earlier effective date was denied as he did not submit a timely appeal or provide new and material evidence within one year of the October 2012 denial.

The Veteran's cervical spine, left shoulder, right shoulder, and right-hand disabilities are not related to service. The Veteran's tinnitus is related to service.,Service connection for the Veteran's cervical spine, left shoulder, right shoulder, and right-hand disabilities has been denied.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service. The case was remanded for further examination regarding service connection for skin cancer, which is presumed related to exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's tinnitus was not diagnosed during the November 2017 VA examination, and the examiner concluded that the Veteran does not have recurrent tinnitus. The Veteran provided a detailed explanation for why he misunderstood the examiner’s question at the time of the examination. As a result, an examination is required to determine if the Veteran's tinnitus is related to service or his service-connected hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and anxiety disorder), finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions did not have their onset during or as a result of his active military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including his reserve service. The VA examiner will need to consider new evidence submitted by the Veteran and his spouse.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and skin rash have been denied. The Board finds that a new VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of his low back disability and functional gastrointestinal disorder.,Service connection for a low back disability and functional gastrointestinal disorder (GERD) cannot be established as there are no objective indications of qualifying chronic disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, with the exception of sleep apnea being granted. The remaining issues were either not reopened or denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new and material evidence being required. The issues are related to whether there is new and material evidence for the psychiatric disorder, tinnitus, and diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that additional evidence received since the August 2015 statement of the case warrants a remand for further action on the issues of service connection for various disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus on a direct basis, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that these conditions are related to the Veteran's noise exposure during active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to incomplete records. The AOJ must obtain relevant Social Security Administration records and decisions.

Service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, liver disorder, cold injury residuals, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left elbow disorder, and back disability has been denied.,Service connection for tinnitus was not granted as it is not related to service.

The Veteran's sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection. The Veteran's meniere's disease is remanded for further examination to determine if it is related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or active military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone precluded him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to November 16, 2016. Effective November 16, 2016, the Veteran was granted entitlement to TDIU on a schedular basis.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The claim for sleep apnea, including as secondary to hypertension and/or PTSD, is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a right foot cold injury, residuals of a left foot cold injury, and tinnitus. The appeal regarding the sleep disorder is remanded.

The Veteran was granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sinusitis.,Sinusitis has been rated as noncompensable prior to May 17, 2016, and at a 10 percent rating since then.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected. The Board found that the Veteran experienced in-service noise exposure, which is considered combat-related, leading to current hearing loss.