Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2020

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as left and right upper extremity disabilities. Service connection for lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding aggravation.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to service and has been granted as a result.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the preponderance of the evidence fails to establish that his diagnosed bilateral hearing loss is related to his active service.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted as he incurred tinnitus during active service and has continued since separation from active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hearing loss and tinnitus as they were not properly developed due to his incarceration. The Veteran will need to provide VA with any outstanding medical records, and a VA examination must be scheduled for him.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted with an effective date of September 20, 2018. The Board found that the Veteran continuously pursued this issue since his request to reopen in September 2018.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his hearing loss and tinnitus did not render him unemployable.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been denied. The Board found that there was no in-service stressor and the current disability is not related to service.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for Posttraumatic Headaches, Neuropsychiatric Disorder (with headaches), Anxiety, Residuals of TBI with Memory Loss, Right Eye Condition, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Post Traumatic Headaches with Dizzy Spells/Syncope (claimed as Migraines and Vertigo), Keloid Scars, and Tinnitus have been reopened. However, the claims for service connection for these conditions remain pending.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused by noise exposure during his military service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the claims of service connection for headaches, back disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, sleep disorder, and tinnitus. As a result, these issues are dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issues of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for a lumbar spine disability, to include on an extraschedular basis pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 3.321(b).

The Board has recharacterized the issues on appeal as individual service connection claims. The Veteran's pending service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral flat foot, hypertension, chronic skin rash of the arms and neck, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and cause of death are all remanded.,The Board has recharacterized the issues on appeal as individual service connection claims. The Veteran's pending service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral flat foot, hypertension, chronic skin rash of the arms and neck, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and cause of death are all remanded.,The Board has recharacterized the issues on appeal as individual service connection claims. The Veteran's pending service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral flat foot, hypertension, chronic skin rash of the arms and neck, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and cause of death are all remanded.,The Board has recharacterized the issues on appeal as individual service connection claims. The Veteran's pending service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral flat foot, hypertension, chronic skin rash of the arms and neck, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and cause of death are all remanded.,The Board has recharacterized the issues on appeal as individual service connection claims. The Veteran's pending service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral flat foot, hypertension, chronic skin rash of the arms and neck, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and cause of death are all remanded.,The Board has recharacterized the issues on appeal as individual service connection claims. The Veteran's pending service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral flat foot, hypertension, chronic skin rash of the arms and neck, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and cause of death are all remanded.,The Board has recharacterized the issues on appeal as individual service connection claims. The Veteran's pending service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral flat foot, hypertension, chronic skin rash of the arms and neck, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and cause of death are all remanded.,The Board has recharacterized the issues on appeal as individual service connection claims. The Veteran's pending service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral flat foot, hypertension, chronic skin rash of the arms and neck, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and cause of death are all remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a link to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including defective hearing and shell fragment wounds, make it impossible for him to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions had their onset during service.

The Board has remanded the claims for cerebrovascular disability, headache disability, memory loss disability, and heart disability due to potential etiological links to service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to non-compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board has determined that the appellant did not have active military service and therefore is not a veteran for VA compensation purposes. As such, their claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service noise exposure are credible and resolving reasonable doubt in her favor.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been granted. The claims for increased disability evaluations for unspecified depressive disorder and a low back disability, as well as the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, are being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and arthrosis of the lumbar spine at L5-S1 have been granted. The effective dates for these grants are November 6, 2013. However, an earlier effective date of November 15, 2012 has also been granted for service connection for tinnitus and arthrosis of the lumbar spine at L5-S1.