Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus prevented him from securing or maintaining employment in the hearing-aid industry, leading to a TDIU for March 2011.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal on the issues of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU consideration and his service-connected disabilities prevent him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinion regarding audiometric conversions from ISO-ANSI units to ASA units, as well as additional evidence related to noise exposure.

The appeal regarding an entitlement to service connection for a cervical spine disability is dismissed.,The appeal regarding whether new and material evidence to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability is dismissed.,The appeal regarding an entitlement to service connection for a right-side, upper neuropathy is dismissed.,The appeal regarding an entitlement to service connection for a right-side, lower neuropathy is dismissed.,New and material evidence to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a lumbar spine disability has not been received.,New and material evidence to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for multiple sclerosis has not been received.,Evidence submitted subsequent to the January 2005 rating decision that denied service connection for tinnitus is not cumulative or redundant of evidence previously of record, relates to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claims, and raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims for service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression) due to missing service treatment records. The VA needs to make additional requests to obtain these records.

The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with the November 2018 remand, and thus the case is being returned to the AOJ for further development. Specifically, a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's tinnitus is caused by any of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to new examination opinions being required.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that these conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to February 13, 2020, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that these conditions are related to military noise exposure. Service connection for bronchitis was denied as there is no competent medical evidence linking the condition to service.

The Veteran's claim for hypertension has been reopened, but service connection is not granted.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is denied as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or symptoms.,Benign prostatic hypertrophy is also denied due to lack of service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are rated at 60 percent combined, but the Board finds that these conditions do not preclude him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including atrial fibrillation, unspecified trauma disorder, lumbar spine disc disease, and other conditions, are reasonably shown to render him unable to maintain regular substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for residuals of fractured left tibia was denied, and his TDIU prior to December 3, 2013, was also denied as he did not meet the schedular criteria for consideration of TDIU since August 11, 2010.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of examination and due process concerns.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss and low back condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for the cause of death and entitlement to DIC benefits, finding that there was no evidence linking his death to any service-connected disabilities.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased ratings of PTSD, migraine headaches, tinnitus, and a scalp scar. The appeal regarding service connection for atrial fibrillation (claimed as ischemic heart disease) and skin cancer is remanded.