Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to service, and the hearing loss claim is remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his active service, as he reported experiencing ringing in his ears since service and the VA examiner noted that it started during his 50s but may have begun earlier. Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to January 6, 2020 due to service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim is being referred to VA’s Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disabilities, and the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that he needed regular aid and assistance due to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus are granted. Service connection is denied for right hip degenerative joint disease (DJD), left hip DJD with iliotibial band syndrome, a right knee disorder to include arthritis, and a left knee disorder to include arthritis.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as a chronic disease under the presumptive provisions. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further development.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to PTSD and related conditions, effective September 17, 2017.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in a loss or loss of use other than an upper extremity, and he is not service-connected for a severe burn injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The Board finds that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for eligibility for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation.

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

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's service connection requests for tinnitus, left ear hearing loss, anxiety disorder, right ear hearing loss, and tension headaches have been granted. The initial rating for right upper extremity radial sensory neuropathy has also been granted at a 30 percent level. Service connection was established for anxiety disorder after the claims were reopened based on new evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus as secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and denied a compensable disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus as an accrued benefit, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and tinnitus were denied, while the claim for a respiratory disability was also denied. The Veteran was granted a 60 percent rating for his stomach disability from October 28, 2014 to February 7, 2017, but this rating is subject to regulations governing monetary benefits.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for the stomach disability and BHL were denied. The stomach disability claim was remanded.

The petition to reopen a claim for entitlement to service connection for an ear disability is granted. The Veteran's prior claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were implicitly denied in the August 1960 rating decision, but new evidence has raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issues of service connection for insomnia and an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as nightmares).

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be service-connected as it began during his active duty and is not related to any in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus began during active service and has been ongoing since then, granting her claim for service connection.