Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Veteran is granted an effective date of April 28, 2011 for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran is service connected for several disabilities, including PTSD and diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction. The Board finds it at least as likely as not that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including exposure to acoustic trauma during combat. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him incapable of obtaining or maintaining employment that could be considered substantially gainful from February 26, 2008 to April 27, 2010.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran. Therefore, service connection for both conditions is granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his VA treatment records from the Martinez VAMC.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD rendered him unemployable from November 7, 1996 to October 6, 2002.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are as likely as not associated with his time in the military due to noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and PTSD due to the Veteran's request for additional records from the Rockford Vet Center Outstation.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and right and left knee patellofemoral syndrome, finding that the Veteran's claims are supported by competent lay evidence of in-service noise exposure and symptom onset. The Board also found that there is no clear and convincing evidence to rebut the presumption of service connection for combat veterans.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be service-connected, and the claim for a higher rating of his left ankle strain is remanded for further development. The remaining claims are dismissed as withdrawn.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing VA outpatient records and the need for further examination. The Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus will be reconsidered.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a new VA examination for his PTSD and to consider the TDIU claim. The case will be readjudicated after all development has been completed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus did not have its onset during service and is not casually related to active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine if his service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of a current disability at separation or within one year after separation. The VA examinations did not establish a link between in-service noise exposure and present hearing loss.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have manifested during active duty service and is granted as service connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions regarding his hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, prostate problems, and hypertension. The issues of service connection are inextricably intertwined with the hearing loss claim.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU for the period from November 3, 2007 to August 10, 2009 due to service-connected disabilities. The Board found that his diabetes mellitus and related neuropathy, along with his low back disability, made him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, effective May 4, 2008.