Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's tinnitus and left ear hearing loss are granted as service connected. The right ear hearing loss claim is remanded for further review.

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

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for TDIU, Dependents' Educational Assistance, and an increased PTSD rating are denied.,An effective date prior to January 31, 2019, is not warranted for the grant of a TDIU or Dependents' Educational Assistance. The Board found that a TDIU was not factually ascertainable within one year prior to the Veteran's claim on January 31, 2019.

The Board has dismissed the issue of entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss. The issues of entitlement to service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence supports a causal relationship to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to errors in notifying him of scheduled VA examinations. The Veteran should be afforded another opportunity to appear for a VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have aggravated his obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and the Board has granted service connection for OSA as secondary to these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD was denied, as the evidence did not show that his PTSD caused deficiencies in most areas such as work and social functioning.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities was also denied because he met the schedular requirements but failed to demonstrate that his combined disability rating of 70 percent precluded him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to the Veteran not meeting the criteria for a disability as defined by VA law and regulations. The case is remanded for further examination regarding tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, right and left foot peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson's disease, tinnitus, bowel disturbance, and cognitive impairment, prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is granted due to the presence of continuous symptoms since service.,Service connection for TBI residuals and headaches, secondary to TBI, are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was granted, while the claims for bilateral hearing loss and anxiety/depression were remanded.,Bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability meeting VA criteria. Anxiety/depression is remanded to determine its relationship to service-connected hypothyroidism.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his appeal by his authorized representative.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for a right knee disability and various hearing loss/tinnitus conditions. The main reason is that there are missing service treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to determine if the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to July 3, 2014. The case will then be referred to the VA's Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to scheduling conflicts and missing VA treatment records.

The Veteran's service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been granted. Additionally, the Veteran is now eligible for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) beginning December 13, 2016.,However, the Veteran's prior request for TDIU prior to December 13, 2016 remains under review and will be remanded.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,A rating of 20 percent for left knee shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome) with knee strain and knee joint osteoarthritis is granted from March 31, 2020.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone did not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to March 2, 2018.,There is no evidence showing that the Veteran's COPD is related to his active-duty service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus claims are remanded for further action due to insufficient evidence.