Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's psychiatric disability is rated at a 70 percent rating, effective from October 8, 2012. A TDIU rating is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for further evaluation due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a right radial head fracture disability was denied as there was no communication prior to September 7, 2010 that could be construed as a formal or informal claim.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were both denied due to the lack of evidence of current disabilities during the pendency of the claims.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for right ear hearing loss disability has been dismissed as the Veteran and his representative have withdrawn their appeal.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was reopened, as new evidence shows he has a current diagnosis of unspecified depressive disorder, unspecified schizophrenia, other psychotic disorder, major neurocognitive disorder secondary to TBI/gunshot wound to the head, substance abuse disorder, and PTSD.,The Veteran's right elbow disability was reopened, as new evidence suggests it may be related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU effective February 1, 2019. The right knee conditions were rated appropriately based on their severity.

The Board has determined that the remand is necessary due to inadequate compliance with prior directives regarding the issues remaining on appeal, specifically related to service connection for Guillain-Barre Syndrome and its residuals.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional evaluations and opinions regarding his service-connected conditions, including tinnitus, migraines, costochondritis, anxiety disorder, and obstructive pulmonary apnea. The issue of entitlement to a TDIU is also considered due to the interrelated nature with other claims.

The VA denied service connection for tinnitus, concluding that the condition is not related to military noise exposure and there are no chronic symptoms of tinnitus during or after service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from June 30, 2006 to March 29, 2021.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the issues are being remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral tinnitus is related to in-service noise exposure and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his service-connected tinnitus has been dismissed as he requested to withdraw the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for depressive disorder is denied as there was no indication that he sought service connection prior to March 23, 2016.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted based on in-service noise exposure. The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from June 11, 2018 until March 30, 2022. The Board granted TDIU for this period.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and BPPV are remanded due to the need for a VA audiological evaluation.

The Veteran's service connection claims for tinnitus and right leg shin splints have been granted. The claim for an increased rating for left leg shin splints is remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected due to continuous symptoms since service, meeting the requirements for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b).