Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a low back disability due to insufficient evidence in the record. Additional records development is needed, including obtaining complete military personnel and treatment records from the Veteran's service in the South Carolina Army National Guard.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher evaluations and earlier effective dates for his service-connected disabilities, including left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and schizophrenia with alcohol use disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination regarding the onset and etiology of the Veteran's tinnitus. The claim will be returned for further development.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, both related to in-service noise exposure. The decision did not address the validity of the service connection theory or provide a rating assigned.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for lower left extremity radiculopathy but granted a 10 percent rating for the lower left extremity external cutaneous nerve of the thigh and a noncompensable rating for the lower left extremity ilio-inguinal nerve. The Board also remanded claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and otosclerosis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him incapable of obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, resulting in a grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's skin disability is related to service and granted. The claims for depression, anxiety, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, hemorrhoids, diverticular disability, erectile dysfunction, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, gall bladder disability, and hernia are denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it began during active duty and has continued since.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, as they preclude him from working in environments of noise even with his hearing aids.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss claims are denied as there is no persuasive evidence linking these conditions to service.,The Veteran's severe depression, type II diabetes mellitus, left hand tingling, left leg numbness and tingling, and right leg numbness and tingling claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the July 2022 rating decision is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error and insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's migraine condition and his service-connected tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that he does not have a current disability of either condition for VA purposes. The claim for tinnitus was remanded due to pre-decisional errors in obtaining medical opinions and STRs.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be at least as likely as not related to military service, and the claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The issues of higher disability ratings for various conditions and service connection for other conditions are not addressed as the appeal is no longer pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is granted, while the claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding no evidence of a relationship between the condition and his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate opinions in the original decision. The Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, breast lump, and tinnitus are all being reviewed further.