Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's petition for re-adjudication of his claim of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus is denied.,Entitlement to an effective date earlier than December 17, 2018 for the grant of service connection for PTSD is denied.,Entitlement to a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has determined that new evidence received after the March 2017 rating decision warrants readjudication of the claim for service connection for tinnitus. Additionally, the Veteran is found to be unemployable due to her service-connected disabilities and thus entitlement to a TDIU is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance or by reason of being housebound. The Board found that the Veteran does not have an anatomical loss, blindness in both eyes with visual acuity of 5/200 or less, is not permanently bedridden due to a service-connected disability, nor is he so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance of another person.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to noise exposure during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied as his service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus have been granted. The Veteran is also awarded a separate rating of 10% for symptomatic residuals of removal of semilunar cartilage of the right knee (meniscectomy) prior to August 10, 2016.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim has been granted. The bilateral hearing loss disability and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) claims have been remanded for further evaluation.,Service connection is denied for the gastrointestinal, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and sleep apnea conditions as they are inextricably intertwined with the acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) claim.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of audiogram results, scheduling issues with VA examinations, and unclear employment history.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was received by VA on June 28, 2013. The Board found no basis to award an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are rated at 40 percent since May 30, 2019. The Board denied the claim for a higher rating as his hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a more than 40 percent rating.

The Board has remanded several matters for further development and clarification, including the need to determine if the Veteran's non-service-connected disabilities render him helpless or near-helpless requiring regular aid and attendance. The issues of service connection for psychiatric and bowel disabilities, as well as reopening tinnitus claims, are also on hold until VA can properly develop the right toe ulcer and osteomyelitis claim.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus began in service and is related to his active duty, thus granting service connection for tinnitus. However, the decision on bilateral hearing loss remains pending as it requires further examination and opinion.

The Board has granted effective dates of December 3, 2014 for the service connection awards of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has decided that service connection is granted for tinnitus, but the right ear hearing loss case requires further examination and evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of tinnitus, finding that the earliest allowable date is December 28, 2015.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not caused by his military noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus have been remanded due to the need for a new opinion regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment prior to October 6, 2014.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus.,The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, lumbosacral spine disability (DDD/DJD), right hip strain, and left hip strain to obtain additional medical opinions.