Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claim for left ear hearing loss remains denied, and his tinnitus is granted. The right ear hearing loss claim is remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiner's opinions.

The Board has remanded the case for a new examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy in the lower extremities.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran developed this condition during his period of active duty. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disorder and RUE scars are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year after service. The Board found the evidence insufficient to establish a nexus between these conditions and service.,For his eye disorder and tinnitus, the Veteran needs further examination and opinion regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connection due to the evidence being in equipoise.,Other issues related to hearing loss, psychiatric disorders, hip and knee disabilities, foot disabilities, seizure disorder, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, kidney disability, eye disability, and hepatitis are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they are related to service, but further development is needed to verify his periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including depressive disorder, chronic cervicogenic tension related headaches, compression fracture T7, right knee degenerative joint disease, cervical strain, tinnitus, and left knee patellofemoral syndrome and dermatitis, have prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 28, 2017.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for tinnitus has been withdrawn.,Service connection for right knee disability and left elbow disability is denied due to lack of in-service injury or disease, and no causal relationship between current conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection has been decided. The rating for dry skin syndrome - dermatoheliosis and actinic keratosis remains at 10 percent, while the issues of service connection for cervical strain (neck disability), traumatic brain injury, headache, left TMJ, right ear otalgia, hearing loss, and tinnitus have all been addressed.

The Board has remanded the claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to outstanding private treatment records not being obtained. The Veteran's conditions are related to noise exposure during his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment prior to February 24, 2017.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development, including consideration of newly-obtained service records and medical opinions. The appellant's current hearing loss disability does not meet VA criteria for a hearing loss disability. For other conditions, the Board finds that there is no evidence to support their onset in service or relationship to service.

The appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for a low back condition is denied.,The claims for service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, and left ankle conditions are remanded.,The claim for service connection for acid reflux (GERD) is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to October 21, 2022. The Board has found that the evidence is in at least approximate balance and any remaining reasonable doubt is resolved in favor of the Veteran. TDIU is granted prior to October 21, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the right knee disability was dismissed as a matter of law due to the finality of the September 1989 rating decision.,The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied without assigning an earlier effective date because no communication prior to October 6, 2017 can be interpreted as an informal petition to reopen or service connection claim.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his right knee disability was denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of tinnitus, and the Board dismissed the case as a result.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected because the condition began during his military service and there was no evidence of pre-service onset.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus was granted, and she received a 50% disability rating for her major depressive disorder.,Service connection for bilateral tinnitus was established based on the Veteran's in-service noise exposure. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to military noise exposure.

The appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is dismissed.,Service connection for hypertension is granted, based on the PACT Act presumption of association with herbicide exposure. The effective date is August 10, 2022.