Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is causally related to his service, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The Board granted service connection for post-traumatic inflammatory nodule on dorsum of left hand, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and scar to left hand with specific disability ratings. The past-due benefits awarded in the June 2019 rating decision are not paid due to a statutory impediment.

Service connection is granted for right ear sensorineural hearing loss, left ear sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus.,Service connection is denied for unspecified depressive disorder, right ankle degenerative arthritis, left ankle degenerative arthritis, right knee osteoarthritis status post total replacement, left knee osteoarthritis status post meniscal tear repair, right hip degenerative arthritis, left hip degenerative arthritis and femoral acetabular impingement syndrome, right wrist degenerative arthritis, left wrist degenerative arthritis, right shoulder acromioclavicular osteoarthritis and rotator cuff tear status post total replacement, left shoulder acromioclavicular osteoarthritis, right lateral epicondylitis, left lateral epicondylitis, neck pain, lumbar spine DJD, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease (DDD), lumbosacral strain, and radiculopathy.,Service connection is denied for coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and hypertensive heart disease.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his claims of service connection for neck, back, and tinnitus disabilities, as well as increased ratings for his service-connected migraine headaches and bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an initial increased rating for right knee tendonitis is being remanded due to new evidence received after the appeal was transferred to the Board.

The Board has granted reopening of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, and has also granted service connection for these conditions. The decision is based on the Veteran's exposure to hazardous noise during service and his competent and credible report.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking it to his service. The case is remanded for further development regarding the Veteran's low back strain, including whether it is related to service or secondary to his service-connected ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria.,Service connection for tinnitus is also denied due to lack of in-service onset or relationship to service. The Board finds the Veteran's lay statements regarding continuity are less probative than other evidence.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, tinnitus, right wrist and hand conditions, left forearm condition, and lower back condition have been remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, Parkinson's Disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hypertension, and diabetes mellitus due to incomplete VA treatment records and insufficient opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected prostate cancer with urinary incontinence, along with other disabilities, has rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus have been remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as secondary to his service-connected other specified depressive disorder; alcohol use disorder, mild.,The Veteran's tinnitus is granted based on in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of June 1, 2017. Basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35 is established effective as of June 1, 2017.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the earliest date is April 18, 2019. The Veteran did not provide new and material evidence within one year of the denial or argue clear and unmistakable error in a prior rating decision.

The Veteran's claim for a rating greater than 50 percent for PTSD was denied as the evidence did not show that his symptoms more closely approximated those associated with a 70 percent disability rating.,Service connection for tinnitus was also denied because there is no current diagnosis of tinnitus in the medical records.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The Board has remanded the remaining issues due to outstanding records and additional medical opinions are required.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted. The claim for a right wrist disorder is remanded due to an error in the previous VA opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current tinnitus and his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus began in service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection.