Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disorder and tinnitus, but granted service connection for HSV. The low back disorder claim was dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection in a prior decision.

The Veteran's IHD is rated at a maximum of 60 percent effective October 5, 2020.,Basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits was established as of the same date.

The Veteran's claim for tinnitus is granted as it was incurred in service.,The claims of entitlement to service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy are dismissed as they were already granted in a previous decision.,The claims of entitlement to service connection for lumbar spine disorder, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, and loss of use the lower extremities as secondary to prostate cancer due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, neck disability, back disability, and tinnitus have been denied. The Board has found that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied in December 2017 due to a lack of evidence linking the current disability to service. New evidence submitted since then, including an October 2019 statement from her husband and VA outpatient records, is not relevant to the issue.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus as new and relevant evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Veteran's tinnitus was not related to service, as it did not manifest within one year of separation and there is no evidence of continuity of symptoms. The Board found the VA examination report more probative than the private opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for tinnitus have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current hearing loss disability under the applicable regulations, thus denying the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. For tinnitus, as the maximum schedular rating has already been assigned, the Veteran's request for an increased rating was also denied.

The Veteran's migraines associated with tinnitus are granted a 30 percent disability rating prior to December 11, 2023.,A higher disability rating of over 30 percent for migraines associated with tinnitus from December 11, 2023 is denied.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain VA audiology examination and SSA records, as well as a duty to assist error in obtaining these records.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from April 21, 2018 to January 25, 2021 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's tinnitus disorder is found to have started during her military service and continues to the present day, warranting service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, cervical spine strain, bilateral knee disability, right ankle sprain, lumbar spine strain, tinnitus, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, prevent him from securing substantially gainful employment. The Board granted TDIU based on the cumulative effects of these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the percentage standards set forth in 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a) for a TDIU, but he may be unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities. The Board finds referral to the Director of Compensation Service is appropriate.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete STRs from the Veteran's Reserve service. An addendum medical opinion is needed to determine if the conditions are related to an injury during a period of INACDUTRA.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus and has remanded the claims for lumbar spine disability, left leg disability, and pelvis pain due to a lack of STRs and inadequate VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and tinnitus on a secondary basis to the service-connected psychiatric disability. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for tinnitus and OSA due to inadequate VA examination reports. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which are currently conceded by the AOJ.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there is no competent evidence to show that his current tinnitus began in service and has continued since then.