Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for gastroesophageal reflux disease and tinnitus, as secondary to service-connected conditions. Additional opinions are needed to address these issues.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the other issues related to bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and acquired psychiatric disorder (generalized anxiety disorder) are remanded due to failure to report for VA examinations.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability. The Veteran's tinnitus claim is also remanded due to inadequate VA medical opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and shoulder and knee conditions, do not preclude him from securing substantially gainful employment prior to November 12, 2014.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) or eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA).

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions from VA audiologists and a need for a new examination.

Service connection is granted for GERD, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, tinnitus, PTSD and major depressive disorder.,Service connection is denied for hyperlipidemia.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their onset during service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service and granted service connection for it. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disability, left ankle disability, asthma, and hypertension are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, a depressive disorder, and a substance-related disorder), and sleep apnea as secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder. Additional evidence is needed from VA treatment records and Social Security Administration.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and service connection due to their withdrawal of the appeals.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions did not manifest within one year of separation from active service or were otherwise unrelated to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to his military service. The Veteran's lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and hypertension have been remanded for further examination.,The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents in Vietnam but does not meet the criteria for early-onset peripheral neuropathy or sufficient evidence of an association with hypertension.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected. The lumbar spine disability is remanded for further review.

The Board has granted an effective date of July 20, 2018 for a 20% rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claim was treated as a request for an increased rating for his service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 1, 2016. The Board denied the claim for TDIU on both schedular and extraschedular grounds.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to lack of a current diagnosis.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her left wrist fracture and associated scar, as well as tinnitus, are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of a chronic disability in service or continuity of symptomatology. The Board found that the Veteran did not have noise exposure during service and his current tinnitus is not related to service.,Service connection for sleep difficulty, to include sleep apnea (claimed as secondary to tinnitus), was also denied as there is no evidence of a current disability at any time during or recent to the filing of the claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claim for an increased rating for left elbow disability was also denied.