Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a history of noise exposure during service and current complaints of tinnitus, resolving all reasonable doubt in his favor. For the hearing loss claim, the Board finds the VA examination inadequate due to lack of continuity of symptomatology and remands the case for further evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's tinnitus is related to in-service noise exposure, while his hearing loss does not meet the VA criteria for a disability.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The claims for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, left ankle condition, and hypertension are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) was denied because the effective date cannot be earlier than March 12, 2021. The TDIU award is based on the schedular requirements and not due to a new disability or change in existing disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted with an effective date of December 31, 2018.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have started during service and granted service connection.,Bilateral hearing loss was not shown to be related to service, as it did not manifest within one year of separation from active duty.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not providing an adequate examination. The Veteran's MOS as a teletypewriter repairman must be considered, along with his lay statements and service treatment records showing a worsening of the left ear at 4000 hertz threshold from entrance to exit examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but remanded the claim for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence in the VA audiological examination.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of both feet. The claims for service connection related to bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction are remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The appeal for service connection of tinnitus is dismissed due to procedural defects. The appeal for an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent for other specified trauma and stressor related disorder is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a 30 percent rating for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is granted. The claim for a higher rating for tinnitus, to include on an extraschedular basis, is denied.

The Veteran's other specified trauma and stress related disorder is granted as service connected. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for Meniere's disease and right ear tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to in-service acoustic trauma, and the Board granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of vertigo and service-connected tinnitus warrant a remand for further examination to determine if there is any aggravation by the service-connected condition.

The Board has dismissed the claim of service connection for parkinsonism as it was granted in a previous decision. The claims for hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus on a direct basis, finding that the Veteran's in-service acoustic trauma resulted in continuous symptoms of tinnitus since service separation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him permanently bedridden or unable to care for his daily needs without requiring the regular aid and attendance of another person. He is not substantially confined to his house due to service-connected disabilities, nor does he have a single service-connected disability ratable at 100 percent along with other unrelated disabilities that combine to at least 60 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus and panic disorder manifested by pseudoseizures and insomnia are found to cause his headaches, thus granting service connection for headaches as secondary to these conditions. The rating in excess of 70 percent for panic disorder is remanded, as is the earlier effective date and TDIU claim.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate medical opinions regarding their etiology. The AOJ is required to obtain new, adequate medical opinions addressing whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran did not serve during a period of war, and therefore the appellant is not entitled to pension benefits. The Veteran's death occurred after he had received his last VA benefit claim, so accrued benefits are also denied.