Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and low back disability, have rendered him unemployable as of September 5, 2013. The Board has granted TDIU based on the combined rating of his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus began in service and has continued to the present, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including shortness of breath, chest pain, asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, bilateral leg disorder, coughing, tinnitus, and allergies, have been denied as there is no evidence showing a current disability or linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus as the evidence did not show it was related to service, including exposure to acoustic trauma from aircraft during his service as a medic.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected, while his coronary condition remains denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his requests for an increased rating for PTSD prior to May 3, 2016 and a TDIU prior to that date. The reasons given were that there was no evidence of chronic conditions during or within presumptive periods after service, and the Veteran's reports about when he first noticed hearing loss and tinnitus were not credible.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded for further examination to determine if they were incurred in service.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and he is granted a TDIU. The issues of ratings for nephrolithiasis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss. The claim for sinus disorder is remanded due to the need for additional development of records from a U.S. Air Force Base in Germany.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus is granted. The claims for increased rating for low back strain and service connection for facial basal cancer are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a diagnosis of PTSD and concluded that he does not have any diagnosed mental health condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to July 26, 2011, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable at that time. The decision also noted that extraschedular consideration was inappropriate as the Veteran was not unemployable solely due to his service-connected disabilities.

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

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and he has been granted a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or causal relationship to service.,Service connection for swelling of the left testicle was denied due to lack of documented pathology and continuity of symptomatology.,Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not granted service connection as they did not manifest within the applicable presumptive period and there is no evidence linking them to in-service noise exposure or other events.,Service connection for eczematous dermatitis was denied due to lack of a current diagnosis related to service, including fuel exposure during service.,Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was granted a 20% rating as it meets the criteria under Diagnostic Code 5242.,Increased rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was not granted as there is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, esophageal cancer, and a respiratory disorder (emphysema) has been denied. The Board found no current diagnoses or chronic symptoms related to these conditions that would warrant service connection.,Esophagal cancer was not incurred in service and is not presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for chronic renal disease and TDIU was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for chronic renal disease, as it did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 60 percent. For TDIU, the Board determined that the Veteran does not meet the requirements to be considered unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The claim for SMC based on aid and attendance or housebound status is denied, but the issue of an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 11, 2016. Therefore, an earlier effective date for the TDIU is denied.

The Veteran is granted a total disability based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) effective June 26, 2006 due to service-connected disabilities.