Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a lumbar spine disability due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's service records indicate exposure to loud noise during service which may be related to his current disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's current bilateral tinnitus is being reviewed again with a new examination and opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or chronic conditions related to those disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Catholic Medical Center from May 4, 2015 to May 6, 2015 is denied because the treatment was not for an emergency condition and VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is not service-connected.,Left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of documentation showing that the Veteran received notification for a VA examination. The claims will be returned for another attempt at obtaining an examination.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected degenerative disc disease. Other claims are remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking the current condition to their military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his claim of service connection for tinnitus and has determined that service connection is warranted based on in-service noise exposure. The decision also grants the Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a sleep disorder, GERD, colon disorders, headache disorder, diabetes mellitus type II (DM), eye disorders, low back and neck disorders, erectile dysfunction, right and left carpal tunnel syndromes. The decision also denied reopening of the claim for hypertension.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is found to be causally related to his active service.,The Veteran's tinnitus disability is found to be causally related to his active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 18, 2008. From January 18, 2008 onward, the Board finds that his service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of emergency travel expenses to and from VA medical facilities on January 24, 2018 is granted due to the delay caused by his hospitalization and inability to control the ambulance bill submission process. The Board found reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran regarding his fixed income status.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and PTSD has been denied. The claims for effective dates earlier than March 25, 2015, for the grant of service connection for these conditions have also been denied. The claim for COPD has been reopened due to new evidence submitted. Service connection for tension headaches is granted. Service connection for a back disability and high cholesterol are denied. Service connection for left shoulder and right shoulder disabilities as well as disabilities manifested by left and right hand numbness are not established. The Veteran's TDIU claim related to PTSD is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to a dispute over when the Veteran's TDIU should have been granted, and will be reviewed by the Director of Compensation Service for an extraschedular determination.

Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, both related to in-service noise exposure. Service connection is denied for prostate cancer due to lack of onset during service or within one year post-discharge.,The Veteran's current prostate cancer was diagnosed many years after service discharge.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical spine, bilateral shoulder, bilateral arm, lumbar spine, and myositis of the paralumbar spine muscles disabilities. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have also been denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes and peripheral vestibular vertigo have been denied. The Board found no evidence linking the conditions to service, with a focus on the lack of in-service exposure to chemicals that could cause these conditions.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to PTSD and denied a prior effective date claim, finding that the earliest date of receipt of a claim was May 31, 2016.

The Veteran's tinnitus and hypertension are granted service connection.,Service connection for toxic nephropathy, spinal stenosis, and cervical radiculopathy of the bilateral upper extremities is remanded.