Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Veteran's right knee disability, post-total knee replacement, is currently rated at 60 percent due to severe pain and weakness. The claim for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to his active duty service, thus granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, depression and anxiety, and headaches are being remanded as the medical evidence is insufficient to make a determination.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen claims for service connection for skin disability, bilateral eye disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or psychiatric disability (PTSD).

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus were denied as there was no credible evidence of in-service stressors or exposure to hazardous environments. The Board found that the Veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining VA treatment records and an examination.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with appropriate VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is etiologically related to his military service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The low back disability was not incurred in service, and thus service connection is denied. The right knee disability is also not proximately due to or aggravated by a service-connected disorder.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board found that the veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service disease or injury, and the preponderance of the evidence shows that any current hearing loss and tinnitus are not causally related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, left foot drop with hyperreflexia and ankle clonus, shell fragment wounds of the left thigh, bilateral tinnitus, shell fragment wounds of the left anterior chest, shell fragment wound of the right elbow, and right ear hearing loss, prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to his active service, including in-service noise exposure. Similarly, the Veteran's tinnitus is also found to be related to his active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to his active service, with noise exposure during service being a contributing factor.

The Veteran's claim for specially adapted housing was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not meet the specified criteria for issuance of a certificate of eligibility.

The Board denied the Veteran's attempt to reopen his claim of service connection for tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence had not been received.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 70%, which meets the minimum schedular criteria for TDIU. However, his service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable as he can perform sedentary employment.

The Veteran's claimed residuals of a fractured nose are not shown to be related to service.,His hearing loss disability is not shown to have originated in service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for tinnitus, which is granted. The Veteran's credible lay testimony regarding his in-service exposure to acoustic trauma and continuous symptoms since service raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Veteran's service-connected long thoracic nerve injury of the left arm and bilateral tinnitus were both evaluated at their maximum allowable ratings (noncompensable for the former, 10 percent for the latter).