Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations, particularly regarding TBI-related disabilities.

The Veteran's headache disability is rated at 50 percent, the highest schedular rating available.,The Veteran's PTSD and headaches are found to be consistent with inability to sustain substantially gainful employment, resulting in a TDIU award.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating higher than 20 percent for his lumbar spine disorder has been denied. The Board found that the Veteran's flexion was at worst 55 degrees with painful motion, which did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeal for tinnitus was dismissed as she withdrew her appeal in December 2019.

The Veteran's initial ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are denied. The case is remanded to issue a Statement of the Case regarding the issues.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have met the percentage requirements for a schedular TDIU as of March 31, 2020. The evidence indicates that these disabilities have prevented him from performing gainful employment since then.

The Veteran's hepatitis C and hair loss claims are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.,The Veteran's OSA claim is remanded as the examiner failed to consider her prior sleep disturbances.,The Veteran's hypertension claim is remanded because the examiner did not provide a rationale for denying secondary service connection.,The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder claim is remanded due to insufficient consideration of medical literature cited by the Veteran’s representative.,The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus claims are remanded as the examination results were inconsistent and the examiner failed to address relevant medical literature.,The Veteran's dizziness claim is remanded because the examiner did not consider whether her dizziness was a symptom of her service-connected headache disability or a separate disorder.,The Veteran's cervical spine, left hand, bilateral shoulder, hip, knee, and foot disabilities claims are all remanded due to inadequate examination reports that failed to address relevant medical literature and symptoms.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is granted.,The petition to reopen the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, bilateral pes planus, and bilateral plantar fascia are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have met the schedular criteria for a TDIU from June 28, 2022. The Board finds that he is unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due solely to his service-connected disabilities as of May 1, 2019.

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

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and his in-service noise exposure. The Board concluded that the current disabilities are less likely than not related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records that may be pertinent to his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU, and his claim of entitlement to a TDIU on an extraschedular basis was denied by the Director. The Board finds that the evidence does not show that the Veteran is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due solely to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine disorder and bilateral foot disorder due to incomplete records and need for further evaluation. Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his service-connected conditions did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, to include as secondary to his service-connected migraine headaches, is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's headaches are found to be related to his service-connected cervical spine disability.,The Veteran's TBI is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's right shoulder disability is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his active service.

The Veteran's SMC based on housebound status is denied as he does not have a single service-connected disability rated at 100% or TDIU due to a single service-connected disability.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that his current tinnitus is at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to a lack of response from the Veteran or his representative regarding additional evidence added to the claims file since the last SSOC.