Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability effective from March 3, 2020. The decision is based on the Veteran's initial claim filed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the claim for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of an adequate VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus either began during active duty or manifested to a compensable degree within the first post-service year. The decision is based on the Veteran's competent lay statements regarding the onset and continuity of her tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for insomnia, finding that it did not have its onset in service and is not otherwise related to service or caused by a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that both conditions are the result of exposure to acoustic trauma during military service. There is no evidence of intercurrent causes.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board denied the claim for service connection of tinnitus, finding that it was not incurred during service and is unrelated to noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions had their onset in service.,The decision also grants service connection based on direct service connection rather than a presumption or secondary theory.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including tinnitus, depression, anxiety disorder, psychosis, insomnia, PTSD, left shin splints, right shin splints, and sleep apnea are granted. The claims for bilateral pes planus, endocervicitis, gastritis, GERD, irritable bowel syndrome, otitis media, and eye infection remain denied.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a duty to assist error in the February 2019 VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus should be remanded due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding notification and scheduling of a VA examination.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to new evidence received after the August 2022 rating decision. The evidence now supports a finding that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military noise exposure.

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

The Veteran's tinnitus was incurred during his period of active service due to in-service acoustic trauma. The Board granted the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted as the evidence shows that his current condition likely began during service. However, his claims for bilateral hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, sleep apnea, and cervical degenerative disc and joint disease are denied due to lack of a current disability diagnosis.,There is no current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or traumatic brain injury related to service. The Veteran's claim for sleep apnea is also denied as there is insufficient evidence of a current disability. Service connection for cervical degenerative disc and joint disease (claimed as cervical strain) is not granted due to lack of a current condition.,The Veteran's tinnitus claim is supported by his credible statements about the onset and impact of the condition during service, but he does not have a confirmed diagnosis of hearing loss or traumatic brain injury. The Board finds no evidence linking these conditions to service.

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

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted service connection, with the Board finding that there is at least as much evidence to support these conditions being related to his military service. The Veteran's headaches, left elbow disability, left wrist disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, cervical spine disability, and lumbosacral spine disability have been remanded for further review.,The Board has found that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service. The Veteran's headaches, left elbow disability, left wrist disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, cervical spine disability, and lumbosacral spine disability have been remanded for further review.

The Board dismissed the appeal regarding the timeliness of the May 2021 VA Form 9 as it has already been granted and there remains no justiciable case or controversy over which the Board may exercise jurisdiction.