Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA audiology examination.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board has remanded this issue for further development.,Tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issues of service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's claims are pending further development.

The Veteran did not serve 90 consecutive days of active military service during a period of war, thus his death pension benefits are denied.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities has been denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the schedular criteria for a compensable rating for his hearing loss, as his hearing acuity was shown to be at level II in both ears. For the TDIU claim, the Board determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations and service connection have been REMANDED due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records, scheduling examinations, and ensuring compliance with remand directives.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to noise exposure in service. The VA will schedule a new examination to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any claimed conditions and finds no evidence to support service connection for these disorders.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran did not have any pending claims for VA benefits at the time of his death, and there were no unpaid VA benefits. The Board found that accrued benefits cannot be granted because there was no claim for VA benefits pending.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's in-service exposure to acoustic trauma.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to his failure to report for VA examinations. The claims are being returned for further development, including scheduling new examinations and obtaining medical records.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there are outstanding service treatment records that need to be obtained, including those from the Veteran's Army Reserve service. The VA needs to verify the dates of service in the Army Reserve and obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether the conditions are related to active or reserve service.

The Veteran's application to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. Service connection for tinnitus is granted, but the remanded issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Board denied service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease, right knee disability, and tinnitus. The Veteran's ED was remanded due to insufficient evidence linking it to his service-connected condition.,Service connection for right wrist disability is also remanded as the claimant asserts that it is secondary to a service-connected condition.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for award of a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, which include PTSD, CAD, diabetes mellitus, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The Board finds that these conditions render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's initial rating in excess of 10 percent for recurrent tinnitus is denied.,The effective date prior to December 15, 2015 for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The effective date prior to December 15, 2015 for the grant of service connection for recurrent tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in and is causally related to his active service, and the Board granted service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus has been granted. The claims for left and right knee disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional development.