Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus began during service and is related to military noise exposure, granting service connection.

The Board has remanded all issues on appeal due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions regarding the etiology of various service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that her symptoms are related to military service and resolving all doubt in her favor.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hepatitis C, left ankle condition, right ankle condition (claimed as residuals of right ankle sprain), and vision condition. Service connection was remanded for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension were also remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, unspecified insomnia disorder, alcohol abuse, obstructive sleep apnea, basal cell carcinoma, tinnitus, GERD, bilateral hearing loss, and erectile dysfunction, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active duty service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for financial assistance in purchasing an automobile or other conveyance due to lack of permanent loss of use of one or both feet, hands, or vision.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings are being remanded due to the AOJ not making reasonable attempts to schedule an informal conference before issuing a decision.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection and assigned a 30 percent initial disability rating.,The Veteran's headaches are granted an initial disability rating of 50 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including persistent depressive disorder with other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, chronic headaches, right shoulder impingement syndrome with rotator cuff tendonitis, degenerative arthritis of the spine, left knee strain with bursitis, chronic right knee strain, left ankle lateral collateral ligament strain, chronic right ankle sprain, allergic conjunctivitis, and tinnitus, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as a result of his service-connected disabilities. As such, TDIU is granted from August 26, 2020.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for tinnitus and a back disability, finding no current disabilities or evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD with alcohol use disorder, and tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the regulatory criteria for a current hearing loss disability in either ear, his PTSD symptoms did not warrant an initial rating higher than 50 percent, and his tinnitus met the schedular criteria for a maximum 10 percent rating.

The Veteran's left hip condition is currently rated at 10 percent, and the claim for a higher rating remains denied.,The Veteran's right wrist condition is currently rated at 10 percent, and the claim for a higher rating remains denied. The Veteran also seeks service connection for left knee pain secondary to his left hip condition.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its etiology. The Veteran is not shown to have current left ear hearing loss or tinnitus, and his tinnitus was not related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss. Service connection is denied for psychiatric disability, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, left shoulder, right shoulder, left knee, and right knee.,Service connection was not established for a psychiatric disability, sleep apnea, or high blood pressure due to lack of evidence of such conditions during the pendency of the claim. Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as secondary to service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a bilateral hearing loss (BHL) disability due to the need for a medical nexus opinion regarding its etiology. The Veteran's BHL disability is currently diagnosed, and the examiner should provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not related to service or secondary to his service-connected bilateral tinnitus.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that it was incurred during his military service and thus meets the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is not secondary to a service-connected disability and is not otherwise related to an in-service event, injury, or disease.,The evidence is at least in approximate balance that the Veteran's tinnitus began during active service. The Board has therefore granted service connection for tinnitus.,The claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD, depression, and anxiety) remains remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

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

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions provided are inadequate for adjudication and requires additional opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's OSA, specifically addressing whether it is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus or hypertension.