Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right knee instability, degenerative disk disease of the lumbosacral spine, and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of October 29, 2021.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding the Appellant's income and medical expenses to determine her eligibility for death pension benefits, as well as to verify the Veteran's exposure to herbicides and ionizing radiation during service. Additionally, a VA medical opinion is needed to address the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has found that the VA examinations related to hearing loss and tinnitus are inadequate, necessitating a new examination. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the hearing loss and tinnitus claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded all substantially gainful employment for which his education and occupational experience would otherwise qualify him during the periods from March 20, 2018 through November 30, 2020 and since March 23, 2022. However, the TDIU claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the period from December 1, 2020 through March 22, 2022.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment since November 6, 2018. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from that date.

The Board has remanded the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) on an extraschedular basis from February 13, 2013 to December 26, 2013. The Veteran's service-connected conditions left him unable to work as a contractor during this period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right shoulder bursitis, right foot disability, bilateral hearing loss, and other hand disabilities, have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment as of November 1, 2020. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for this period.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The cases of bilateral hearing loss, vertigo, cervical spine disability, thoracolumbar spondylosis, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis, right hip osteoarthritis, and left hip osteoarthritis are all remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral knee degenerative joint disease due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's current diagnoses are not supported by medical records, and there is no clear link between his service and these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for back pain, neck pain, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. Service connection was granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder (bipolar disorder) but only if the condition manifested during active-duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to failure to obtain VA examinations and opinions as part of a prior remand. The issues include hearing loss, tinnitus, lung condition due to asbestos exposure, TBI, and non-prostrating posttraumatic headaches.

The Board denied a rating for bilateral hearing loss in excess of 60 percent, but granted service connection for tinnitus. The decision also noted that the Veteran's subjective perception of his hearing loss did not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service noise exposure and resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus, right knee status post total knee arthroscopic repair, degenerative joint disease of the left knee, IVDS of the spine and lumbosacral strain, tinnitus, osteoarthritis of the right ankle, osteoarthritis of the left ankle, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, radiculopathy of the left knee, and rheumatoid arthritis (indicated by pes planus), render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including ankle condition, hip condition, tinnitus, headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD), need further investigation. The AOJ is instructed to verify the Veteran's reported stressor and obtain outstanding VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent under either Diagnostic Code 5276 or Diagnostic Code 5269. For TDIU, the Veteran met the schedular criteria and the Board granted an extraschedular TDIU based on his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's tinnitus is rated at the maximum disability rating of 10 percent and no higher. The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, including on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether tinnitus is related to service-connected hearing loss disability. The Veteran's claim will be reviewed by a VA examiner who will provide an addendum opinion addressing this issue.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date of March 14, 2016, for the grant of service connection for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood is granted.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to inadequate medical opinion in the previous decision. The claims are now pending for further review.