Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability related to service for the claimed conditions, including bilateral knee disability, bilateral shin splints, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disability. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are found to be related to his military service, with the onset of symptoms during service and continuity since then.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of current disability, and the Board found that any symptoms experienced during service are not related to his current conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and granted his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran has these conditions that began during active service or are related to an incident of service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address his claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and COPD. The VA will obtain medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for recurrent tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence received since the last denial. The Board finds that these conditions are related to his active military service.

The Board has determined that the effective date for the grant of a TDIU is July 6, 2006, as it was factually ascertainable that the Veteran was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected PTSD from this date onward.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected prostate cancer, status-post radiation with erectile dysfunction, prior to June 22, 2012, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to that date.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to July 3, 2007 is being remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of extraschedular TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a total disability rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction and peripheral neuropathy, as well as his tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, may not be effective earlier than October 14, 2009. The initial ratings for these conditions have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's assertions of in-service noise exposure and current tinnitus are credible. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence showing the Veteran currently suffers from this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the issue of right eye disorder remains pending as it is unclear whether service connection should be granted based on direct evidence or secondary to a service-connected condition.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the claims for service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, and tinnitus. The Veteran's current right and left knee disabilities are found to be related to his active duty service.,Tinnitus is also found to have originated during active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are likely due to noise exposure during his military service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has decided that the Veteran is entitled to service connection for tinnitus, but denied an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The issues of entitlement to a higher evaluation for bilateral hearing loss are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a clarification of her tinnitus onset and an opinion from the VA examiner regarding its relationship to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment, without considering his age and nonservice-connected conditions.