Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his active-duty service and resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service, despite the Veteran having diagnosed hearing loss. The Veteran failed to attend VA examinations without providing good cause.

The Veteran's initial evaluations for tinnitus and hearing loss remain under review, with the Board finding error in its previous decision regarding these issues.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to provide adequate medical opinions and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's OSA is related to service, but whether it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD or tinnitus needs further clarification.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected due to exposure to harmful noise during active duty.,DEA benefits are granted from September 15, 2017.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, left ankle sprain, and left knee condition are dismissed due to procedural defects in how the appeal was filed under the AMA system.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete records.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral pes planus, plantar fasciitis, cervical strain, lumbosacral strain, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, left and right hip strains, left and right knee conditions, and tinnitus have been granted. The Veteran is also assigned a 10 percent rating for each of the affected limbs.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's obesity was more likely the cause of his OSA, and the private medical opinions did not adequately address the aggravation claim.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's tinnitus is remanded for further evaluation due to the lack of a clear and adequate medical opinion regarding its onset during service or its relationship to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, degenerative arthritis of the spine (back disability), right knee disability, left knee disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability have been dismissed as they were previously denied in a January 2015 rating decision. The Veteran did not dispute or appeal these decisions.,The Veteran's claim for bilateral tinnitus has been denied because the evidence does not show that his current tinnitus is related to service.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted. The hearing loss claim is remanded due to inadequate etiology opinion.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for right knee degenerative arthritis with ACL insufficiency and medial meniscus tear was denied.,Service connection for PTSD, psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, TBI, and tinnitus were all denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss are being remanded due to a lack of VA examination and treatment records, which may affect the determination of whether his conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus was rated at 20 percent, the maximum schedular rating. The Board found that the disability required only restricted diet and an oral glycemic agent.,The Veteran's tinnitus was rated at 10 percent, the maximum schedular rating. The Board noted that factors warranting extraschedular rating were not shown.,The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent, the highest schedular rating. The Board found that his symptoms did not cause impairment requiring a higher disability rating.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a missed VA examination for tinnitus, and will provide an opportunity for the Veteran to attend another examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding no current diagnosis of tinnitus and giving more probative weight to the VA examiner's opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence suggesting a nexus between his current condition and his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to December 6, 2012 due to insufficient evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.