Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not by themselves cause him to require aid and assistance in accomplishing the activities of daily living and render him unable to protect himself from the hazards and dangers of his daily environment. Therefore, SMC based on the need for aid and attendance is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of VA examination.

The Board dismissed the appeals for tinnitus and left knee disability as the Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) prior to July 25, 2014, finding that the Veteran was not unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment due to her service-connected disabilities until then.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss but granted service connection for tinnitus, both related to military noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, thus denying his claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of left ankle injury was denied.,Service connection for the Veteran's back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were all denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension was denied in a May 2010 rating decision. The appeal to reopen the claim is denied.,Service connection for tinnitus is denied as there is no evidence of current diagnosis during the appeal period.,Service connection for a low back disability and gout are remanded due to lack of VA examination addressing their etiology.,The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, tinnitus, low back disability, and gout remain denied.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability and an increased rating for asthma. The Board has found that the Veteran meets the schedular requirements for TDIU, but remanded for further development regarding his asthma claim.

The Veteran's service-connected paranoid schizophrenia is granted, effective from the date of the decision.,A 50 percent disability rating for migraine headaches is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal as the withholding of VA disability compensation benefits in the amount of $1,649.89 for 115 training days for FY 2016 was proper.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the issues of service connection for GERD, neuropathy, and DJD of the left hip are remanded due to insufficient evidence.,For GERD, the claim is remanded as there are conflicting opinions regarding its onset during service and whether it is aggravated by a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic ear infections, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, bilateral hearing loss as secondary to chronic ear infections, and tinnitus have been granted.,Service connection is established for chronic ear infections, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, bilateral hearing loss as secondary to chronic ear infections, and tinnitus as secondary to chronic ear infections.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and active military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted. The claim for an increased disability rating in excess of 20 percent for right ankle sprain prior to May 1, 2017, was also granted. However, the claim for a higher rating after that date was denied.

The Veteran's appeals for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to conflicting opinions in the medical evidence, particularly regarding the 2005 IOM study on delayed-onset hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment, thus his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of January 29, 2020. The Board referred the issue of a TDIU rating prior to January 29, 2020 for consideration on an extraschedular basis.