Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2020

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active military service.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from January 15, 2013 to November 15, 2018 due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need to verify periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA. The VA will also arrange for a VA audiology examination and orthopedic examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his tinnitus and current right knee, shoulder, and neck disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and the Board has granted entitlement to service connection for various conditions. The effective dates are not specified as they were not addressed in this decision.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and dismissed the appeals for depression, erectile dysfunction, sleep apnea, and migraine headaches.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU for the period from July 16, 2010 to July 17, 2017 due to his service-connected disabilities. However, he was denied a TDIU for the period after July 18, 2017 as he successfully completed Vocational Rehabilitation and obtained full-time employment.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a vision disability, psychiatric disability, tinnitus, and right ankle degenerative joint disease. The claims are being remanded due to inadequate examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claims of hearing loss and tinnitus, as there is insufficient evidence in the record to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD). The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his active duty service. Service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to herbicide exposure, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) are remanded due to the need for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus has been granted. The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for tinnitus, vertigo, and a cardiac disability to include chest pain due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's tinnitus claim is denied as there is no credible evidence linking his current condition to service. His vertigo and heart conditions are also not supported by the available medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's history of noise exposure during active duty is sufficient to establish a link between his current condition and service.

The Board granted service connection for right and left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to in-service acoustic trauma. A higher initial disability rating of 50% was also granted for unspecified anxiety disorder with alcohol use disorder.

The Veteran's tinnitus disability is granted as service connected, with the Board resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.

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

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his military service and is related to noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction is denied as the evidence does not support a link between his current condition and his active military service. The Board also found that he cannot secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, but did not grant TDIU as the schedular threshold was met.