Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for neuroendocrine cancer, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to incomplete records and need for additional examination.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been evaluated as noncompensable prior to June 12, 2009, and a 10 percent evaluation thereafter. The Board denied entitlement to TDIU due to the lack of meeting schedular requirements for a TDIU.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have been incurred in service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ischemic heart disease, left eye choroidal tear, and tinnitus, did not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU rating prior to May 16, 2017. However, there is evidence suggesting he may have been unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to these disabilities. The Board referred this issue to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for an opinion under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Board has remanded the claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of valid audiometric results from VA examinations, and the need for an addendum opinion that reconciles the September 2015 private audiogram with the January 2018 VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence for hypertension and tinnitus service connection. The decision on hypertension could impact the tinnitus case, so both are being reviewed together.

The Board has decided that service connection for tinnitus is granted, but the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that additional development is required due to procedural errors and the need for a new examination. The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's exposure to noise during his time in service is at least in equipoise with his assertions of such exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to service exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to a failure to provide adequate evidence and notification, finding no clear and unmistakable error in the original decisions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed.,The claim for a higher rating for PTSD has been denied, as the symptoms do not meet the criteria for a 100% disability rating.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issue of bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to inadequate medical nexus opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but denied readjudication of the claim for hearing loss as no new and relevant evidence was submitted.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and tinnitus have prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment since August 19, 2016. His TDIU claim was granted effective from November 4, 2018.

The Veteran's overpayment debt is due to concurrent receipt of disability compensation benefits and active service pay from December 1, 2016. The Board found the documents insufficient to determine the correct number of drill days and requested military pay records for FY 2017.

The Board has remanded the cases for further examination and clarification of the Veteran's conditions, specifically regarding his abdomen and right ankle disabilities. The issues include service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus (which were granted), and rating adjustments for the shell fragment wounds.

The Veteran's claims for hypertension, tinnitus, dental disability, memory loss, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records.