Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been reopened. The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in the VA examination regarding the private audiograms.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are due to in-service acoustic trauma. The decision is based on credible evidence of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's claims for increased PTSD rating, service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and tinnitus do not render him unemployable, as he has worked for twelve years as a custodian. The Board finds the evidence does not illustrate that his disabilities prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature of the Veteran's hearing loss at entry into service, and whether his current hearing loss is related to noise exposure in service.

The appeal of the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is dismissed.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there was no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes.,An effective date earlier than May 24, 2012, for the grant of TDIU is denied because the Veteran did not meet the schedular criteria for TDIU prior to that date.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for interstitial lung disease (ILD) have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran’s tinnitus began during active service or was related to any in-service injury, event, or disease. For ILD, the PFT results showed FVC at 74% and DLCO (SB) at 64%, post-bronchodilator, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a link between these conditions and active duty service.,Service connection was also denied based on the presumption in favor of chronic diseases or continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, and a rating of 20 percent for his left ankle disability is granted. The appeal regarding the eye disability is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral tinnitus, finding that it is related to his service-connected Meniere's disease.

The Board has found that additional development is needed regarding the Veteran's employment status and the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability. The case is being remanded for further clarification.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and left ankle arthritis as the evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and active service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of PTSD has been granted to the maximum schedular rating (100%) since March 23, 2015. As a result, his TDIU claim is dismissed because he already meets the eligibility criteria with the current PTSD rating.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Tinnitus has been granted as the preponderance of the evidence supports its in-service onset and continuity.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The decision on COPD is based on asbestos exposure during service. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded due to the need for a current examination.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder.,Service connection for pancreatitis is denied.,Service connection for restless leg condition of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity is denied.,Service connection for tinnitus is denied.,An effective date earlier than October 14, 2016 for grant of service connection for major depressive disorder is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.,Service connection will be considered based on direct evidence rather than presumptive exposure or other theories.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) as they are rated at 60 percent combined, which is below the threshold of 70 percent required by VA regulations.