Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a compensable disability rating for hypertension, an increased rating for PTSD with adjustment disorder and depressed mood, an increased rating for tinnitus, and increased ratings for left knee status post meniscectomy with arthritis and right knee degenerative joint disease.

The Board denied service connection for various claimed conditions, including a neck disorder, low back disorder, shoulder disorders, knee disorder, ankle and foot disorders, skin rash, eye disorder, hearing loss, tinnitus, and psychiatric disorder, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating on an extraschedular basis for the period before October 20, 2015, as his service-connected hypertension, hearing loss, and tinnitus did not preclude him from securing and maintaining gainful employment.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the claims for an initial compensable rating for headaches and TDIU.

The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for tinnitus and a bilateral hearing loss disability due to the untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for all claims, including those related to various disabilities and service connection.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss but granted service connection for tinnitus.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to a pre-decisional error in the duty to assist, requiring an addendum medical opinion.

The Board granted service connection for vertigo, migraine, and tinnitus but denied it for an eye disability, left knee arthritis, nerve damage post removal of wisdom tooth, right arm arthritis, and right knee arthritis.

The Board denied service connection for a left leg condition, speech condition, and remanded the claims for a left foot disability, low back disability, increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, increased rating for tinnitus, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The appeal of entitlement to service connection for an opiate dependency disorder is dismissed, and the claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is denied. Several other claims are remanded for further development.

The Board granted service connection for cervical spine disability, GERD with hiatal hernia, and sleep apnea while denying service connection for hypothyroidism, TMJ, stress headaches, and other conditions. The effective dates for the grants of service connection were not earlier than February 27, 2021.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, finding that the condition was present during active military service and is related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and persistent depressive disorder, but denied service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, insomnia sleep condition, traumatic brain injury, hypermetropia bilateral eyes injury, heart disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, left hip disorder, back disorder, cervical spine disorder, and foot disorder.

The Board granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) but denied a compensable rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.

The appeal regarding entitlement to service connection for various conditions was dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review options.

The Board denied service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease, left foot condition, right foot condition, right elbow condition, sleep apnea, and migraines, to include as secondary to tinnitus. The Veteran is also denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for right ear sensorineural hearing loss, left ear sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claims for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and feet and toes were remanded for further development.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus based on the Veteran's continuous symptoms since service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a need for an addendum opinion that addresses the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and potential threshold shift during service.