Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2021

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is a result of military service, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's request for re-entrance into the VR&E program following a determination of rehabilitation is denied due to his service-connected disabilities not precluding him from performing work duties and the occupation previously found rehabilitated being deemed suitable.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service connected due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The issues of reopening and granting service connection for tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, lumbar spine disability, asthma, and sinus disability are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU from November 1, 2014 to March 2, 2016 is dismissed as moot because he is already receiving a combined 100% disability rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are found to be of such nature and severity as to prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since January 28, 2014.

The Board has remanded the claims for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus due to a need for additional medical examination.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for further development due to an inadequate VA examination. The examiner must review the Veteran's full claims file when providing opinions on whether these conditions are related to military service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete records, including SSA disability benefits records and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his in-service noise exposure, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

Service connection is granted for tinnitus, right ankle arthritis, left ankle arthritis, and cervical spine arthritis.,Service connection is denied for tendonitis of the left elbow (also claimed as arthritis) and acromioclavicular arthrosis with impingement and rotator cuff tear of the left shoulder.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus, irregular walk, and a lipoma or liposarcoma of the right shoulder due to insufficient information regarding their etiology.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete examination and opinion.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar fibromyositis with IVDS is granted a 60 percent rating effective November 13, 2015. The remaining claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, and cervical spine disability are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for PTSD and tinnitus, finding that no valid claim was filed prior to April 24, 2018.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.,The evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's tinnitus had onset in active service or was otherwise causally connected to his active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes and multiple types of peripheral neuropathy, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of December 20, 2016. The Board finds that the combined effect of his physical and psychiatric conditions has made it impossible for him to engage in any form of substantial gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been denied as there is no evidence of current tinnitus or a diagnosis thereof.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD), erectile dysfunction, left knee condition, right hip condition, and hypertension have all been remanded due to incomplete development in the schizoaffective disorder claim.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his military service, specifically noise exposure during active duty.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any of the periods on appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of sinus disorder and lumbar spine disorder. Bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and bilateral foot disorder are now considered service-connected. The claim for sinus disorder is remanded due to insufficient evidence, and the claim for lumbar spine disorder is also remanded.