Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to address a pre-decisional duty to assist error and obtain new VA medical opinions for the Veteran's sleep apnea and hypertension, as these conditions may be aggravated by her service-connected PTSD.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a right thumb wound, headache disability, right eye scar, head trauma, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left ear injury, right arm scar, chest scar, forehead scar, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety). The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of prostate cancer, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus has been granted. Prostate cancer is presumed due to exposure under the PACT Act. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are also granted as secondary to the service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's cause of death was not due to a service-connected disability, and he did not meet the requirements for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 or survivor's pension benefits. The appeal for accrued benefits is also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for GERD and hypertension have been granted. The claim for increased evaluation for tinnitus has been dismissed, while the claims for service connection for low back disability, peripheral neuropathy, scar of the right lower extremity, erectile dysfunction, individual unemployability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are all remanded.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected due to continuous symptoms since service, meeting the requirements for presumptive service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his military service. The decision is based on the Veteran's self-reported history of hearing problems and tinnitus during and shortly after service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for tinnitus was dismissed due to procedural issues. The VA granted an initial disability evaluation of 10 percent for left foot strain and denied any higher evaluations for the left long finger and ring finger disorders. The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left knee disorders and right and left shoulder disorders, as a VA examination is needed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of tinnitus and hypertension is granted. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The case is remanded to determine the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension.

The Board has granted service connection for arthritis of the left knee as secondary to a service-connected right ankle sprain and for tinnitus, both conditions found to be related to active service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to her active service, and service connection for tinnitus has been granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for GERD and hypertension have been granted. The claim for increased evaluation for tinnitus has been dismissed, while the claims for service connection for low back disability, peripheral neuropathy, scar of the right lower extremity, erectile dysfunction, individual unemployability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are all remanded.

The Board dismissed the appeal of increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the appellant requested withdrawal prior to a decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has credible evidence of in-service noise exposure and a current diagnosis of tinnitus, which resolves in his favor. For bilateral hearing loss, the Board finds insufficient medical opinion to determine if there was a nexus between the condition and service, as the examiner did not consider both in-service audiograms and compare them using both ASA and ISO-ANSI units.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss but granted service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his military service, while the evidence does not support a finding that his bilateral hearing loss was incurred during service.

The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective July 1, 2019.,Basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35 is established as of July 1, 2019.

The Veteran's TDIU is denied as the earliest effective date allowable for the grant of a TDIU is January 28, 2021 due to service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no jurisdiction remains for the merits of any claims.

The Veteran's tinnitus and right ear hearing loss disability are granted service connection, but the left ear hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran was found unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities as of October 31, 2018. The Board granted an effective date of October 31, 2018 for the TDIU claim.