Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and vestibular disability due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which he contends are related to his military service or secondary to his service-connected migraines.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for tinnitus, and the Board dismissed it.

The Veteran's tinnitus and vertigo are found to be related to her military service. The claims for laryngitis and sinusitis are remanded due to procedural errors.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected due to continuous symptoms since service.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are remanded for further development to establish service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for tinnitus was denied, and his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was granted with a rating of 10% effective August 23, 2021. The decision does not address the issue of service connection based on exposure to noise during service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for tinnitus service connection is denied as the earliest date of filing was August 22, 2014. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is dismissed as moot due to concurrent receipt of TDIU and SMC.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but remanded the claim for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to March 6, 2020, did not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU. However, VA policy requires that all Veterans who are unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation by reason of service-connected disabilities be rated totally disabled. The Board finds remand necessary to refer the claim to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD from January 23, 2018 is granted. The appeal for TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be a result of her military service and has been continuous since then, warranting the grant of service connection.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner to address the threshold shift in service.

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 a TDIU.

The Veteran is unable to obtain or maintain gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities from November 1, 2016, to March 24, 2020.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's periods of active duty for training and inactive duty for training, as well as an inadequate examination for tinnitus. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for tinnitus has been denied as the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent is already in place.

The Veteran's tinnitus started during active service and has continued since then. The Board granted service connection for tinnitus based on direct evidence.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no current diagnosis of these disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran should have been provided VA examinations and medical opinions assessing his claims for service connection for right and left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, and erectile dysfunction before the November 2022 rating decision on appeal was issued. The case is REMANDED to correct this error.