Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including headaches, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus, were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The claims for these disabilities are denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include a depressive disorder. The evidence now shows that he has a current psychiatric condition related to his active service. Service connection is granted for this condition. The Veteran also has hypertension and other conditions which are being remanded for further review.

The Board found that the Veteran's stated vocational goal of concrete sales was not reasonably feasible due to his service-connected and nonservice-connected disabilities, including a severe brain injury from a motor vehicle accident. The VRC concluded that achieving this goal would be unreasonable given his current medical condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to include obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for examinations to determine if his current disabilities are related to service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, tinnitus, a scalp laceration scar, and PTSD. The issues include secondary service connection for hypertension, rating adjustments for PTSD, and an earlier effective date for PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including panic disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of July 21, 2008.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is now at 70%, meeting the minimum schedular requirements for a TDIU. However, he was unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities from October 25, 2004 until April 24, 2005.

The Board has determined that an effective date prior to February 28, 2007 for the awards of service connection for right (major) shoulder strain, left hip strain, lumbar strain, bilateral tinnitus, pes planus, left lateral leg scar residuals, post-operative pilonidal cyst removal scar residuals, and psoriasis is not warranted.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to exposure to loud noise during service. The Veteran's claims for a psychiatric disorder have been recharacterized as encompassing PTSD, dysthymic disorder, and adjustment disorder.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for prostate cancer, compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and erectile dysfunction, and service connection for a low back disorder prior to the Board's decision.

The Board finds that the appellant has current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which are related to his active duty service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for a separate compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction was withdrawn. The Veteran is granted entitlement to specially adapted housing due to his service-connected disabilities, but the grant of special home adaptation is dismissed as it conflicts with the eligibility criteria.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left heel disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to incomplete service treatment records, inadequate VA examinations, and the need for further development of the case.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his noise exposure during his period of active military service, and grants service connection for tinnitus.

The VA determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as evidenced by normal hearing tests at both entry and separation from service. The Board found the opinion of the January 2013 VA examiner to be adequate for adjudication purposes.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are not of such nature and severity as to prevent him from securing or following any substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service exposure, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. The claims for service connection are granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.