Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has withdrawn appeals for service connection for right shoulder strain, intercostal muscle (claimed as right-side rib), bilateral hearing loss, rhinitis, respiratory disability, and tinnitus. Appeals for TBI, migraine headaches, increased rating for anxiety disorder, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, effective date prior to May 16, 2018 for service connection for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and effective date prior to May 16, 2018 for service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of adequate medical opinions addressing the lay statements from the Veteran, his family members, and fellow shipmates. The VA examiner is requested to provide an addendum opinion that addresses these statements and provides separate opinions on both conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and therefore his TDIU claim is denied.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left and right shoulder disabilities, low back disorder, multiple joint pain, diabetes mellitus type II, residuals of a head injury (TBI), and vertigo. The reasons were that the Veteran did not have evidence of these conditions during or immediately after military service, and there was no clear connection to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the earliest allowable date to establish service connection is November 13, 2008.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for amputation of the left index finger, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to inadequate opinions in previous examinations.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim is remanded due to the need for clarification on whether he experienced ringing in his ears during service or within a year of discharge.

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

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus prevented him from securing or maintaining employment in the hearing-aid industry, leading to a TDIU for March 2011.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal on the issues of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU consideration and his service-connected disabilities prevent him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinion regarding audiometric conversions from ISO-ANSI units to ASA units, as well as additional evidence related to noise exposure.

The appeal regarding an entitlement to service connection for a cervical spine disability is dismissed.,The appeal regarding whether new and material evidence to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability is dismissed.,The appeal regarding an entitlement to service connection for a right-side, upper neuropathy is dismissed.,The appeal regarding an entitlement to service connection for a right-side, lower neuropathy is dismissed.,New and material evidence to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a lumbar spine disability has not been received.,New and material evidence to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for multiple sclerosis has not been received.,Evidence submitted subsequent to the January 2005 rating decision that denied service connection for tinnitus is not cumulative or redundant of evidence previously of record, relates to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claims, and raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims for service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression) due to missing service treatment records. The VA needs to make additional requests to obtain these records.

The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with the November 2018 remand, and thus the case is being returned to the AOJ for further development. Specifically, a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's tinnitus is caused by any of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to new examination opinions being required.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that these conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to February 13, 2020, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that these conditions are related to military noise exposure. Service connection for bronchitis was denied as there is no competent medical evidence linking the condition to service.