Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a travel board hearing at the RO in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension. The Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran has tinnitus that is due to his military service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development of evidence, specifically requiring an examination by an ear, nose and throat physician for a hearing loss disability and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to May 28, 2010 was denied as he did not meet the schedular or extraschedular criteria for such a rating.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's tinnitus is causally related to his military service, and the Board finds that service connection for tinnitus is warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and acquired psychiatric disorder rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to August 23, 2010. As of that date, his combined disability rating was 100 percent due to the bilateral hearing loss, making TDIU moot.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, as there is no evidence of chronic symptoms in service or continuity of symptomatology since service separation. The VA audiological examination found no connection between the Veteran's current conditions and service exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, not otherwise specified, is related to active service and grants service connection for this condition. The issues of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded for further development.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for further development and examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a hearing before the Board.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The issue of an increased initial evaluation for tinnitus is intertwined with the earlier effective date claim for service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's low back disability, along with other service-connected conditions, has rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.,The Veteran is entitled to SMC at the housebound rate due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to his active service. Service connection for both conditions is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not etiologically related to his active service, as there is no credible evidence of such during or immediately after service. The VA examiner's opinion was more probative than Dr. RJC's due to its reliance on clinical records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for further medical examination and consideration of combat exposure.