Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for OSA, COPD, claudication, and an acquired psychiatric disability (anxiety disorder) due to a VA esophagogastrectomy performed in August 1986.,Service connection is denied for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they are not related to service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is granted with a rating of 50%. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied as they were not related to service.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted as service connected. The neck and back conditions are remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been reopened and granted. The effective date of service connection for TBI prior to April 27, 2017 is denied. The effective date of service connection for a scar, residual of TBI, prior to April 27, 2017 is also denied. The Veteran's initial rating in excess of 10 percent for TBI and an initial compensable rating for the scar, residual of TBI, are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, residuals of TBI, and acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. The reasons given were that there was no evidence of delayed onset hearing loss or other conditions related to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and genital herpes. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities in these conditions.,For hearing loss, the VA examiner found no evidence of hearing loss disability as defined by regulation.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is evidence of record establishing a link between the Veteran’s noise exposure in service and his current conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to May 23, 2011 is denied as the evidence does not show that he was precluded from securing and maintaining substantial and gainful employment solely by virtue of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not render him unemployable prior to October 1, 2015. The Board found that the evidence did not support an exceptional situation preventing the Veteran from obtaining and maintaining employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and tinnitus disabilities do not render him unemployable, as the evidence does not show that his psychiatric symptoms are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability at any point during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran is granted TDIU based on service-connected disabilities from October 19, 2006 and TDIU based on depressive disorder alone from October 25, 2019.,Effective October 25, 2019, the Veteran also receives SMC at the housebound rate due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete or missing records and inconsistent responses during VA examinations. The Veteran's service connection claims will be reconsidered after further development.

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 current diagnosis of tinnitus is related to his military service and noise exposure during active duty.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and COPD due to new evidence received. The claims are now remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied as the evidence did not show a nexus between his current condition and his military service.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma due to exposure to non-ionizing radiation during active duty was remanded for further development.

Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records review.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran is required to undergo a VA examination to determine if his conditions are related to service.

Your appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to decide your claims now.