Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether his tinnitus had its inception during active duty service.

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

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his character of discharge claim due to inadequate medical opinions and missing VA treatment records. The Veteran is also required to be scheduled for a VA audiology examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection has been granted for tinnitus, and the issues of service connection for arthritis, asthma, high cholesterol, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), diverticulitis, and an acquired psychiatric disorder have also been granted. The claims for hearing loss and bilateral hands/low back arthritis are still pending.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it began during active duty and has continued since then.,Service connection for migraines (headaches) due to exposure to Gulf War environmental hazards was denied. The examiner found no evidence of chronic headaches in the Veteran’s records.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that no claim was filed prior to April 24, 2012.

The Veteran's tinnitus, allergic rhinitis, intercostal neuralgia (chest pain), asthma, and ulnar nerve paralysis of the left upper extremity are all found to be related to his service. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.,Reasoning behind this decision includes medical opinions supporting a link between each condition and the Veteran's active duty service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for a left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, lumbar spine disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, and tinnitus have been reopened. The Board found the January 2007 VA examiner’s opinion more probative than the physician's opinion in determining that these conditions are less likely due to his active service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's tinnitus, which is a condition related to service. The Veteran served in Southwest Asia and was exposed to noise during his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further action due to procedural issues and the need for VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. A new VA examination is needed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to inadequate examination and failure to comply with duty to assist.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not show he was unemployable due to his disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were reopened. The Board found that the Veteran did not have current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus related to his military service, but granted service connection for tinnitus as it was related to his hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to the law prohibiting payment of benefits before the first day of the month following the month in which the award became effective.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

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

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for additional development, including obtaining new medical opinions to determine if these conditions are related to service.

An effective date of January 23, 2015 for the grant of service connection for right upper extremity radiculopathy is granted.,Effective dates earlier than June 27, 2016 are denied for the grants of service connection for tension headaches, TBI, tinnitus, mixed anxiety depressive disorder, left upper extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, and thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease.,The Veteran's December 31, 2015 claim referenced neurological damage which should have been recognized as claims including TBI and the nerve damage in his bilateral shoulders. However, no head injury nor left shoulder neurological damage was mentioned.

The Veteran's appeals for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, knee disabilities, macular degeneration, hypertension, aortic blood vessel aneurism, vertigo, COPD, and congestive heart failure, have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran. The appeal is now moot.