Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to lack of anatomical loss or use of extremities, and his conditions are not related to exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation, Gulf War Syndrome, or other presumptive conditions.

The rating reduction for the Veteran's low back disability from 10 percent to noncompensable was improper, and the 10 percent rating is restored. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied, while service connection for tinnitus was granted.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that his current condition is related to his active-duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus, migraine headaches, and PTSD with MDD and AUD resulted in sleep disturbances which, combined with his obesity from PTSD, caused physiological changes resulting in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). As a result, service connection for OSA is granted as secondary to these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria or a link to service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of sleep apnea, which is secondary to tinnitus and/or PTSD, has been withdrawn. The Board dismissed the claim as the appellant requested withdrawal.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have begun during active service and has persisted since, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions. The Veteran's VA records suggest a possible link between post-service ear infection and current hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to duty-to-assist errors, including failing to obtain SSA records and a VA examination that did not adequately consider all evidence of record.

The Veteran's application for Legacy S-DVI was denied because it was not filed within the two-year period after he received a compensable disability rating, and there is no evidence of mental incompetence. The Veteran had hypertension rated as at least 10 percent disabling since August 2022.

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 Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete service records and unadjudicated claims. The AOJ must verify all periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA for the Appellant's period from May 29, 1991 to August 1, 2001.

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 and bilateral hearing loss were awarded service connection effective August 28, 2016. The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for these awards.,The Veteran also seeks a higher initial rating for his tinnitus.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.,PTSD, PFB, eczema, right foot pes planus, left foot pes planus, left foot hallux valgus, right foot hallux valgus, left foot plantar fasciitis, and right foot plantar fasciitis are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in at least relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran has a current disability of tinnitus. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of persuasive evidence showing it manifested within one year of discharge from active service or was otherwise caused by service.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The Board found the VA examination inadequate to address neck pain as secondary to tinnitus and remanded for an adequate opinion.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were remanded due to inadequate VA examinations that did not address his reported pain.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied, while the claim for bladder cancer was remanded.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is not granted due to lack of evidence of a current disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that he was not unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment solely because of these conditions.