Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2026

The Board dismissed the appeal for a higher rating for tinnitus and denied claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of left breast scars, hyperlipidemia/high cholesterol, bilateral hip disorders, and left ankle disorder.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of non-VA medical services provided during a motorcycle accident is remanded due to the need for additional VA records and proper notice.

The Board has granted the Appellant's request to have his military service characterized as honorable, and has also granted service connection for various conditions including unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, scars of the left second finger and thumb, thoracolumbar spine strain, bilateral knee strains, and a right foot disorder.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudication of the claims for bilateral hearing loss, headaches, and tinnitus. The Veteran's service connection claims are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for entitlement to TDIU and denied his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back strain, bilateral knee disabilities, and bilateral ankle disabilities. The claims of service connection for these conditions are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits, finding that there was no factual ascertainability of unemployability within one year prior to April 30, 2015.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, thoracolumbar levoscoliosis with advanced multilevel DDD and facet arthropathy (low back disability), and cervical spine disability to include cervicalgia (neck disability) due to a lack of VA examination records and an incomplete review of service treatment records.

The Board dismissed all appeals for service connection and increased rating claims due to untimely Notice of Disagreement submissions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there is no credible evidence linking his current tinnitus to his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus was originally onset during service and has continued to the present. The Board finds that the criteria for entitlement to service connection for tinnitus are met, granting the claim.

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

The Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as lumbosacral strain, osseous & subluxation stenosis of lumbar foramina, is granted with a rating of 40 percent effective February 9, 2024. The other service connection claims are also granted.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The Board finds the evidence insufficient to grant service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, prostate condition, headaches, IBS, behavioral neurology conditions, and acquired psychological condition due to exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service-connected tinnitus was denied as the evidence did not show entitlement prior to September 6, 2019.,Service connection for a neck disorder and bilateral hearing loss were both denied because there is no current disability found in the record.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, but has remanded the issue of his hearing loss due to a lack of clear and unmistakable evidence regarding its pre-service status.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings and service connection due to procedural errors in providing notice of the right to a hearing.

The Veteran's claims for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grants were denied as they did not meet the criteria for assistance in acquiring such benefits due to lack of qualifying service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to January 31, 2023.

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

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have onset in service and has persisted since, meeting the criteria for service connection.