Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2021

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms of these conditions have been continuous since service separation. The decision is based on the presumption of chronic disease under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b) due to exposure to acoustic trauma during service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal in a written statement received in February 2020.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and a right ankle disability due to new evidence received since the last final denial. The claim is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his representative.

The Board has found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service. However, the right ear hearing loss is not currently shown as a disability for VA purposes due to lack of audiometric findings meeting the criteria for a current disability. The case is remanded to obtain additional records and conduct an examination.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between the conditions and service. The appeal is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for referral to Compensation and Pension Service for extraschedular TDIU consideration prior to September 3, 2015. The Veteran's TDIU was granted on September 3, 2015.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, but the skin disorder of the feet remains pending and requires further examination.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete medical records.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, thoracolumbar spine condition, and cervical spine condition due to outstanding VA treatment records and a need for an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between noise exposure in service and current hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, as there are inconsistencies in the evidence and additional information is needed to make a determination.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is granted as related to exposure to herbicide agents in service.,The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as etiologically related to his active service.

The Board has remanded the claims for a higher rating for residuals of head injury and TDIU due to service-connected disability. The claims are being remanded because the VA examinations provided were insufficient, and additional evaluations are needed.

The Board has remanded the issue of TDIU prior to October 26, 2016 due to insufficient evidence in the record regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable.

The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection as a direct result of in-service elevated blood pressure readings.,Service connection for the heart disorder is granted secondary to service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and diabetes mellitus were denied. The Board found no evidence to support a nexus between the conditions and active service.

The Board has referred the issues of service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for adjudication. The AOJ must address these intertwined claims before determining whether the appellant can be considered a veteran.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and multiple radiculopathies, have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment since March 9, 2017.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that he does not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee condition and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of current disabilities or in-service incurrence.