Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service connection claims for cranial nerve V (trigeminal) dysfunction, arthritis of the right hand, arthritis of the left hand, and tinnitus have been granted. The claim for service connection for a gastric ulcer has been denied.

The Veteran's TDIU was not based on a single service-connected disability alone, and he does not have a single 100% rated service-connected disability with additional disabilities independently ratable at 60%. Therefore, SMC for housebound status is denied.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and denied his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of current disability.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to missing treatment records.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete medical opinions that did not consider the apparent threshold shift documented in the Veteran's service medical records.

Entitlement to service connection for migraines, hypertension, and pseudofolliculitis barbae is dismissed as these conditions were granted in new claims filed after the initial denial.,Entitlement to service connection for tinnitus was previously denied in December 2018 and has not been appealed within the time frame allowed by VA regulations. The appeal is dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to TDIU.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current hearing loss and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. However, the claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for tinnitus is denied as there was no formal or informal claim filed prior to March 6, 2023.

The Board has determined that the VA examination reports are not adequate to decide the claim for service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's tinnitus is remanded for further clarification and opinion from an appropriate clinician regarding its nature, likely etiology, and relationship to service.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as a result of noise exposure during active service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service. The decision is based on the Veteran's reports of in-service noise exposure and continuity of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have begun during service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure. However, it denied service connection for migraines due to a lack of evidence linking them to service.,The effective date for TDIU was denied as the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to June 18, 2020.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal for service connection of migraines and tinnitus, so the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran had in-service noise exposure and credible statements supporting his belief that his tinnitus began during service, thus granting service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected migraines, cervical spine disability, tinnitus, and hemorrhoids have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on the issues of benign prostatic hyperplasia, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, dermatitis, and bilateral foot callus and pain was dismissed due to his withdrawal from appeal. The claim of service connection for kidney disability is remanded.