Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2021

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted service connection.,Service connection has also been granted for degenerative arthritis of the left knee with total knee replacement, right knee with total knee replacement, and lumbar spine.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The claim must be remanded to obtain an adequate opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability due to new evidence received since the last final decision. The Veteran's duty status during his periods of active duty, inactive duty training, and reserve service must be verified, as well as the significance of a 1991 audiogram.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for further evaluation due to a duty to assist error.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance is remanded due to the lack of adequate information regarding his current state of service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's tinnitus and heart disease are granted service connection, while bilateral hearing loss and left knee disability are denied. Hyperlipidemia is not considered a disability for VA purposes.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar spine disability was reopened, and granted. The claims for sleep disability, tinnitus, allergic rhinitis, and tension headaches were denied.,A 10% rating is assigned for the Veteran's allergic rhinitis.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss in the left ear and tinnitus do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran's appeal of the issues related to his foot disability, tinnitus, DM, and associated conditions have been withdrawn. The claim for service connection for tinnitus has been granted due to continuous symptoms since service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and the Board finds that he is not unemployable solely due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus. However, further development is required as the current evidence does not establish service connection due to lack of medical nexus opinions addressing the relationship between the disabilities and service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities precluded him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to September 14, 2016. The Board granted a TDIU for this period.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral knee osteoarthritis have been granted service connection. The Board found that the Veteran was exposed to acoustic trauma in service, which caused his current tinnitus. For the knees, the Board determined that the symptoms were chronic during service and continued after service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for further development and clarification of evidence.,Specifically, additional medical opinions are required regarding the etiology of various conditions including cervical spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar spinal degenerative disc disease, right shoulder disorder, right hip disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, fibromyalgia (Gulf War Illness), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) (Gulf War Illness), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (Gulf War Illness), and migraine headaches.

The Board dismissed the appeal of service connection for anxiety disorder. Service connection was granted for tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not linked to his in-service noise exposure and that there was no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology after service separation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, lumbar spine disability (degenerative arthritis), bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, left thigh varicosities, right thigh varicosities, and tinnitus, are sufficiently severe to render him unable to maintain any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational background. As such, a TDIU is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted his TDIU claim.