Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for a 100% rating for other specified anxiety disorder with alcohol use disorder and traumatic brain injury (TBI) with residual neurocognitive disorder, dizziness, and giddiness is granted. The claims for increased ratings of service-connected visual constriction and tinnitus are denied. An effective date of March 4, 2021, but no earlier, for basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) under 38 U.S.C. chapter 35 is granted.

The Board has found a need for a remand due to conflicting reports of the onset of the Veteran's tinnitus and will obtain clarification from a new VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's exposure to hazardous military noise during his active service is the cause of his current condition.

The appeal for service connection for tinnitus is dismissed because the Veteran's request was improperly docketed into the Appeals Modernization Act system.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus and arthritis, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability or continuity of symptomatology since service. The Veteran's claims are based on his in-service noise exposure and work-related activities, but the Board did not find a causal relationship between these factors and his current conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are due to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was denied due to the lack of a pending claim from 1991, and his formal claim for tinnitus was received on April 17, 2022.,The Veteran's low back disability claim is denied as there is no evidence of record demonstrating a current disability or functional impairment related to service.

The Veteran has withdrawn their appeal for the issues of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran had continuous symptoms of tinnitus since service separation. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on need for regular aid and attendance or at the housebound rate due to his ability to maintain significant independence in daily activities.

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

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected due to noise exposure during active duty. The pneumonia and bronchitis claims are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The diabetes mellitus rating was not changed, the cataracts with visual field defects were rated at their maximum, and other conditions like peripheral neuropathy, hearing loss, and tinnitus did not meet criteria for higher ratings.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, have cumulatively precluded him from securing or following substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational attainment and occupational history.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient opinions regarding their etiology based on service noise exposure. The Veteran's MOS as a Machinery Repairman is cited, but no permanent auditory damage was noted in service records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, as his current ratings reflect the impairment caused by these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for hypertension, hypothyroidism, allergic rhinitis, COPD with asthma and pulmonary hypertension, tinnitus, and obesity have been granted effective dates based on the PACT Act. Effective dates are set according to the date of diagnosis or receipt of claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied as there is no current diagnosed disability and the Veteran failed to attend a scheduled VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for tinnitus was dismissed because the claim had already been granted by the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) during the pendency of this appeal.

The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection for foot, leg, pes planus, and tinnitus disabilities as there is no valid rating decision to appeal.