Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for service connection and rating increases are being remanded due to the receipt of additional VA treatment records. The Board will review all evidence, including new records, and issue a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of service connection for degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis, lumbosacral spine, with left lower extremity radiculopathy and a right ankle injury are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected. The cases for bilateral hearing loss, acquired psychiatric condition (including PTSD), and lumbar strain are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence regarding their onset during service. The claims will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions were denied effective dates prior to April 23, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unemployable, as his hearing loss and tinnitus cause difficulty with communication but he can still perform activities of daily living and improve with the use of hearing aids. Therefore, the Board denied entitlement to a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation during the period of March 31, 2016 to November 13, 2016.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, recurrent tinnitus, and hypertension have been granted service connection. The Board found that the evidence was at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right shoulder impingement syndrome and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since May 6, 2011.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate VA opinions and missing VA treatment records.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss claim is denied.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus claims are granted.

The Board has granted a TDIU from May 11, 2018 to December 5, 2019 due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's right hip condition and tinnitus were found to prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment during this period.

Service connection for prostate condition, respiratory condition, left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, and skin condition is dismissed.,Service connection for PTSD is granted with an initial rating of 70 percent.

The Veteran's PTSD, along with his other service-connected conditions, has rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since July 15, 2019. The Board granted a TDIU on a schedular basis for this period.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including lumbar spine injury, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right eye disability (glaucoma), left eye disability (glaucoma), respiratory disability (asthma), chronic disabilities of the upper and lower extremities, hemorrhoids, leukemia, and high cholesterol. The decision also remanded service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability for the claimed left elbow, right elbow, and left leg disabilities. The Veteran's STRs do not document any complaints or treatment related to these conditions.,Regarding tinnitus, the Board found that it did not manifest during service and was more likely caused by non-service-connected hearing loss.

The Board dismissed the claims for SMC based on aid and attendance due to a full grant of benefits in October 2022. The claim for SMC based on housebound status was denied as the Veteran did not meet the statutory requirement of having a single service-connected disability rated at 100% disabling.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of tinnitus, finding that it was not related to his military service and did not meet the criteria for service connection.