Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that there is a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not obtaining an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's tinnitus is related to service-connected PTSD. Therefore, the case is being remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issue of sleep apnea is remanded for further examination and analysis.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss and acquired psychiatric disorder as secondary to bilateral hearing loss.

The Board granted service connection for TBI and assigned a rating of 100% effective July 16, 2012. The Board also found that the Veteran's Meniere's disease, migraines, and neurocardiogenic syncope all stem from TBI and resulted in his inability to care for himself, granting SMC-T with an effective date of July 16, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetic peripheral neuropathy, hearing loss, and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and PTSD have been denied. The Veteran is currently receiving a 10 percent rating for his tinnitus, a noncompensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss, and a 70 percent rating for his PTSD as of November 22, 2019.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was dismissed as the appellant withdrew his appeal.,The Veteran's claims of service connection for sinus disability and tinnitus were denied. The Veteran's claim for increased rating for unspecified depressive disorder was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss was granted. Service connection is established for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis due to active duty service. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as there is no evidence of in-service injury or continuous symptoms since service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied. The Board has found that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service onset or continuity of symptomatology.,For his PTSD, the Veteran's claim is remanded as there are outstanding VA treatment records from January 2017 to the present.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left knee disability, right knee disability, left thumb disability, tension headaches, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and high cholesterol.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received for the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The claim for tinnitus is granted, but the claim for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's effective dates for the grants of service connection and increased ratings are set to April 18, 2021.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's military occupation as an assault amphibian vehicle crewman indicated a high probability of noise exposure in service and continuity from incurrence to present. The claim is granted due to presumptive service connection.

The Board has found new and relevant evidence for the claims of service connection for bilateral tinnitus and hearing loss. These cases are being remanded to allow for further consideration.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, bilateral plantar fasciitis, right hand condition, tinnitus, headaches as secondary to head/nose injury, lower back condition, and cervical spine disability due to an error in docketing under the AMA system.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for tinnitus is dismissed due to a procedural defect.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including back disability, neck disability, left knee disability, psychiatric disability, skin disability, respiratory disability (to include asbestosis), tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not meet the regulatory threshold for these disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected due to noise exposure during active duty.

The Veteran's service connection claims for COPD, OSA, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, CAD, and hypertension are all granted.,Service connection is also granted for right knee disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for tinnitus and hypertension due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiners' opinions. The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his hearing loss, but not directly caused by military noise exposure. His hypertension is linked to elevated blood pressure readings during service.