Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus, gallbladder disability, and sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence of a claim prior to July 5, 2018.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have onset during service and has been continuously symptomatic since then, warranting service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as secondary to bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's current conditions are considered direct service connections based on in-service noise exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and consideration due to incomplete audiometric test results and an inaccurate finding of pre-existing hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include depression, was dismissed as the issue has been fully granted. The claims of service connection for a vestibular condition, including tinnitus and secondary to service-connected left knee disabilities; lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD), secondary to service-connected left knee disabilities; and right knee disability, secondary to service-connected left knee disabilities are remanded.

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 other issues on appeal have been remanded.

The Veteran's appeal as to sleep apnea was dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal. The appeals for hearing loss, tinnitus, psychiatric disorders, and left leg disorder are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including Tarui's disease, sleep apnea, depression, lumbar spine disability, and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment due to physical and mental limitations.

The Veteran's PTSD, bilateral elbow conditions, and left knee condition have been granted service connection. The Veteran's tinnitus has a maximum schedular rating of 10 percent. A 70% rating for PTSD is granted effective September 6, 2006. Service connection for the bilateral elbow conditions and left knee condition are also granted effective September 6, 2006.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding VA treatment records and the need for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral eye damage is related to his active military service.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of tinnitus is not related to his military service and did not manifest within one year of separation from active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment from July 30, 2008, to December 4, 2014. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether his service-connected conditions alone preclude him from obtaining and maintaining such employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with noise exposure being a significant factor. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that his abdominal disability did not contribute to his death and hypertension was not related to herbicide exposure. The Board also found no new evidence submitted since the last rating decision.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss is inadequate and remands the case for a new opinion to address the history of his tinnitus and whether it may be related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran was granted an effective date of May 8, 2008 for TDIU and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits due to service-connected disabilities.,The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to June 29, 2017.

The Board has found a pre-decisional duty to assist error and has ordered the conversion of the June 2019 VA audiogram results from graphic to numeric form. The case is now remanded for readjudication.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection. The Veteran's lumbar spine and neck disabilities are remanded for further examination.