Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2020

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 decision is based on the Veteran's credible statements of in-service noise exposure and the presence of symptoms since service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's tinnitus as secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is not shown, and service connection for this condition is denied.,Service connection for tinnitus has been granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus was onset during active service.

The Board has remanded the claims of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran's in-service noise exposure is considered, but an addendum opinion from a specialist is needed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no evidence that the conditions began during or were caused by his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's tinnitus, which is considered a current disability since it was reported during his 2010 VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus as the Veteran's tinnitus was not shown to be related to his active duty service, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology or a nexus between the current disability and in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have met the threshold schedular criteria for a TDIU prior to April 5, 2019. However, he has been able to secure and follow substantially gainful employment during this period.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU on an extra-schedular basis, effective December 2, 2013. The decision is based on the combined effects of his service-connected disabilities rendering him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his service-connected conditions alone do not render him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, PTSD, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and left foot stress fracture, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise on whether he is unemployable due to these conditions.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder is denied, and the claims for increased ratings for left shoulder disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, GIST, and GERD are all denied. The claim to reopen service connection for a left elbow and bilateral hand disorder was granted due to new evidence.

The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with the previous remand directives regarding the Veteran's right-ear-hearing-loss issue on appeal, and thus another remand is required.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions alone preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, tinnitus, right knee disorder, and neck disorder was reopened. Service connection is granted for the acquired psychiatric disorder, tinnitus, and right knee disorder. The claim for service connection for a neck disorder is denied.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted since November 1, 2012, as his service-connected disabilities resulted in a combined rating of at least 70 percent and he was unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current tinnitus disability is caused by his exposure to acoustic trauma during active duty service, and thus grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a failure to report for a VA examination. The Veteran's service connection claim is being returned for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. These conditions are found to be related to military service or hazardous noise exposure.,Service connection is granted as the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding the etiology of these conditions.