Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, and tinnitus due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's obesity is not addressed in the opinion.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, a back condition, erectile dysfunction, flatfoot, hearing loss, and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or service connection.,No VA examinations were conducted to support the claims.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for PTSD and tinnitus as they have been granted in prior rating decisions, and the appellant has withdrawn the appeal.

The Board denied service connection for a lower back disability, bilateral hearing loss (left ear), and tinnitus. The Veteran's lower back condition was found to have existed prior to his military service and not aggravated by it.,For the left ear, there is no evidence of current hearing loss meeting VA criteria.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied because she does not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU based on a single service-connected disability, as her right hip disability alone does not qualify. The Board found that multiple of her service-connected disabilities contribute to her difficulty in maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was denied as there is no current diagnosis. The claim for increased rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction and the separate rating for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the femoral nerve due to diabetes mellitus were both denied. A staged rating of 40% for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve from May 26, 2012 was granted. The claim for increased rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to July 26, 2018 is being remanded due to insufficient evidence meeting the criteria under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a) and because there is reasonable possibility that he was unemployable by reason of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions. The case will be returned for further development, including obtaining additional VA and private treatment records and providing a new medical opinion.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connection based on continuity of symptomatology since service.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connection based on in-service noise exposure and the onset during combat.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether tinnitus is related to service, specifically noise exposure during active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, degenerative disc disease with spinal stenosis, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, tinnitus, and erectile dysfunction, prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted his claim for individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have started during his active duty service and granted as a result.

The Veteran's service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus prior to September 12, 2023 is granted. The appeal for higher ratings for anxiety disorder with depressive disorder, left and right sciatic nerve radiculopathy, TDIU, and Dependents' Educational Assistance are all denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's observable symptoms are related to his active service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a duty-to-assist error in obtaining the Appellant's complete military personnel and treatment records from his Navy Reserve service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic sinusitis and migraines, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since November 8, 2010.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus is etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service and resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for various knee conditions, tinnitus, hearing loss, and erectile dysfunction have been denied. The effective dates assigned in previous decisions are maintained.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to a TDIU is being remanded due to the inextricability with other pending claims for service connection. The issues of prostate cancer and anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder are also being remanded.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus, finding that no claim was filed or entitlement arose prior to January 9, 2020.