Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and bilateral hearing loss, do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions regarding his hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension. The claims will be reconsidered after additional development.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus and headaches are granted service connection. The claims for carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic diarrhea, and sinusitis are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current disability of tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure and resolves reasonable doubt in his favor. For bilateral hearing loss, the Board finds that there was no pre-existing right ear hearing loss noted at entry into service, and thus the presumption of soundness does not apply. A remand is required for further examination and opinion regarding left ear hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as secondary to tinnitus due to a duty to assist error in notifying the Veteran of his right to a pre-decisional hearing. The AOJ must correct this error and provide proper notice before readjudicating the claim.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which are conceded to be related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for migraines and tinnitus, as well as service connection for bilateral hearing loss, were dismissed due to untimely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) filings. The appeal for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to an inherent contradiction in the evidence, requiring a new examination with a new opinion.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Tinnitus, finding that there is no current disability related to these conditions. The claim for Tinnitus was remanded due to the Veteran's failure to appear for a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for additional VR&E benefits to pursue a DBA, finding that he was employable within his current degrees and skills without needing an advanced degree.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not begin during his active duty service and are not otherwise etiologically related to his active duty service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The appeals seeking service connection for right elbow lateral epicondylitis and degenerative arthritis, tinnitus, and left lower extremity sprain are dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hyperlipidemia, prediabetes, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, squamous cell carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and allergic rhinitis are all denied. The Board has remanded the cases to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's motion for revision of the September 8, 1995, Rating Decision denying service connection for tinnitus is being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error. The matter will be adjudicated in an initial decision and not a higher-level review rating decision.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine are all granted as service-connected. The claim for congestive heart failure is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and an acquired psychiatric disability. The remaining claims of service connection for various disabilities are remanded due to procedural errors.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that his current diagnosis is at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for acquired psychiatric disability (bipolar disorder type II) and denied service connection for tinnitus. The decision on tinnitus is based on the absence of a link between current symptoms and military noise exposure, while the decision on bipolar disorder acknowledges its onset in service.

The Veteran's appeal of the award of an earlier effective date for tinnitus has been withdrawn.,The Veteran's appeals for increased disability evaluations for his low back injury, right knee injury, left knee injury, left ankle injury, and bilateral hearing loss have all been dismissed as the appeal was withdrawn by the Veteran through his representative.