Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2020

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus and hearing loss are service-connected, but has ordered additional development for his hearing loss claim.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have started during service and has continued since then.,Service connection for bacterial sinusitis with rhinitis is granted, as the evidence is at least in equipoise that it began during service.,Right knee osteoarthritis is granted on reopening of a previously denied claim.,Migraine headaches are granted on reopening of a previously denied claim.,Bilateral pes planus with bilateral plantar fasciitis is granted on reopening of a previously denied claim.,Service connection for right ear hearing loss is established as the evidence supports its onset during service.,Cervical strain with degenerative joint disease is found to be related to service.,Lumbosacral strain with thoracolumbar spine osteoarthritis is found to be related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to acoustic trauma sustained during active military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The decisions on left and right hip disabilities are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran was granted TDIU prior to September 16, 2015 due to his service-connected disabilities. However, he is not entitled to TDIU on or after that date as his combined evaluation has reached 100 percent and there are no other service-connected disabilities rated at 60 percent or higher.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions provided are not sufficient to determine whether any diagnosed conditions are related to service. The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim of service connection for hypertension was granted.,The Veteran's application to reopen the claim of service connection for left knee disability (previously characterized as bilateral knee disability) was denied.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from September 19, 2014 to July 17, 2017 due to service-connected disabilities. The appeal for TDIU from July 17, 2017 is dismissed as lacking legal merit.

The Veteran's dizziness is being remanded for a more detailed examination to determine if it is related to his service-connected tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of in-service evidence linking these conditions to her military service. The Veteran testified that she was exposed to noise during service, but VA records do not support this claim. A new VA examination is needed to determine if her current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to her military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his active service and granted service connection for it. However, the Board found no evidence to support a finding of bilateral hearing loss being related to service.

The appeal as to the claim of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus is dismissed due to it having been granted in a prior decision.,The appeal as to the claim of entitlement to service connection for right broken leg is dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are not of such nature and severity as to have prevented him from securing or following any substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of current disabilities meeting VA criteria.,Service connection for lung disorder is remanded due to insufficient rationale in the previous opinions.

The Veteran's reduction of a 70 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a spine condition manifesting in back pain, including fibromyalgia and degenerative arthritis, paralysis of the sciatic nerve of both lower extremities, major depressive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).,The remaining issues have been denied due to insufficient evidence or lack of nexus between service and current conditions.

The Veteran's initial rating for bilateral hearing loss has been granted at a 20 percent level, effective from the date of claim. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities is remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and CTS, were of such severity that he was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of April 1, 2015.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that these conditions are related to the Veteran's military noise exposure.