Secondary Conditions to Tinnitus VA Claims 

Thank you for watching! Check the links in the description to find a write-up of this conversation, as well as the studies mentioned in the broadcast

Thank you very much for your time and posting. I have the 10% for Tinnitus, but never knew there were secondary. It's interesting, nobody at VA would ever tell you/me. Sleeping is a problem for me because of the noise, but just can't prove it. Thank you again.

Just awarded 30% for insomnia secondary to tinnitus after the mental health C & P and deemed combat related. Very thankful.

Thank you 🙏 so much. You gave me so much info in such a short period of time. I was lost, now I have a map I can follow to start and finish my claim. Again Thanks

I entered service in 1970 and retired in 1992. In 1975 I had a surgical procedure called a "stapendectomy" for reduced hearing in my right ear. I awoke from surgery with a constant ringing in my right ear that is still there to this day. I didn't have much improvement in my hearing either. A few years ago while watching TV without warning I experienced a total loss of hearing that remains today. Well maybe I shouldn't say a total loss of hearing in my right ear, I can still hear the constant ringing in that ear just fine. Thanks for that surgical intervention.

Thanks for your informational video regarding VA claims for Tinnitus. Next week on th 16th I have an evaluation performed by a cilivian audiologist in Midland Texas. Your video has helped me prepare for that evaluation especially secondary conditions regarding depression & severe sleep problems problems. Thanks

Sit inside an M1 tank for days/ weeks/ months at a time. The non-stop hydraulics whine will stay with you for the rest of your life lol

Thank You. Thank You. Its Better Now for Veterans to get APPROVED.

Some counties have a Veteran Assistance Commission. The VSOs (Veteran Service Officers) will help you with your claim. They will make the necessary recommendations you can take. Be sure to take your DD214 to get started.

Thank you for this topic and the explanation of secondaries to tinnutis

I wish I knew I could file for this many years ago. With the help of my Iraq vet son, I got 10% in my later 60's. With PTSD and other issues, he has become very familiar to VA quirks and nuance. Thanks this was helpful since I have problems like depression and sleep apnea for some time and it's documented with the VA, I think I will go ahead and file another claim.

Excellent presentations. Thank you, very helpful.

Thank u for the great content. It’s so helpful.

It’s like being a veteran doesn’t matter to the VA! Depressing

I am an 82 year old vet. I wish I had known about this many years ago. Just over a week ago I was visiting with an old friend who is a Veteran who is 100% disabled according to VA and he told me about disability ratings. I was given a 10% rating years ago because of the time I spent on a flight deck. I started having a ringing in my ears over 60 years ago. I had no idea that some of the other challenges I have had over the years were considered for disability; like the fact the ringing in my ears sometimes drives me crazy. It is there 24 hours a day. It is depressing and annoying because there is nothing I can do about it. In the last few years periodically I see bright colorful auras and when this happens I have to stop what ever I am doing because I can't see anything. I told a VA doctor about this and he said it is called an ocular migraine. I am wondering now if it is connected to my tinnitus. Last May I suddenly could not see out of my left eye. VA saw me right away and diagnosed me with wet macular degeneration for which I am getting monthly injections but now my visual acuity is "counting fingers" in that eye. What to do now? Wondering why, when one goes to a VA medical facility they never bring up possible disability ratings for these conditions?

Thanks guys extremely helpful

I served 4 years as a paratrooper at Ft.Bragg. Always around loud aircraft C130 and C141. But my tinnitus didn’t really start until I was stationed in Germany and I ran loud field generator’s for weeks at a time when deployed to field exercises. When I use ear plugs to go to sleep, the ringing is so loud I have to pull them out. It’s easier to listen to the traffic outside and turn on my ac. Sometimes a shower helps for a little but I can get stuck back into the ringing. It’s caused me a lot of aggravation

Good informational video.

Great info

Omg! I have all those symptoms...

If you’re rated for a mental disability, I’ve been told by the ODVA you can’t be rated for another. I.e If you have PTSD, then insomnia, depression, & anxiety are not rated separately, but are lumped under PTSD. So trying to get any of those three as a secondary for tinnitus is a moot point if you have both tinnitus & PTSD.

I was just told they would not help me for my secondary condition for migraines. I’m already service connected and had other conditions too. But I assume there was not enough money in it for them. So good luck to any other Veteran who call them.

20 years on the flight line, had my hearing baseline adjusted because I couldn’t pass my annual hearing test, yet VA says my hearing loss isn’t service connected. I guess they figure since I can hear the ringing in my ears, my hearing must still be ok…😮

Yo.les envio un cordial saludo.Gracias por la informacion.Yo soy Service Connected.Ya fui diasnosticado Con dicha enfermedad.Y es cierto todo los efectos secundario por que yo los tengo. En union a las demas.condiciones.Me dieron un 70 por ciento de perdida de audicion por el oido derecho.Los medicos despues de los exsamenes.Pero sigo con ese dolor de cabeza insoportable.

I was involved in a loud explosion on the flight line at an Air Force base on active duty in 1967. Flight surgeon warned me at the time regarding problems I would have in my retirement years. The VA will not recognize or help with my tinnitus hearing problem and US Senator from Texas will not help either!

currently 10% tinnnitus. I met with my primary care at the VA because I had issues with my ears. not able to hear well. I had my ears drained. A few weeks later I started to notice that i had consent ringing, humming and cracking from both ears. With all of these issues i had trouble falling asleep and then waking up to use the restroom the noise kept me up. My doctor set me up with the audiologist. I met with the audiologist and took the hearing test. I was diagnosed to have my ears drain and an appointment with the audiologist. I met with the audiologist and it was determined that I had impaired hearing on both ears and a decrease in hearing. I was issued a sound box and hearing aids. I now have insomnia and met with my primary care about that. He prescribed sleeping medication 300mg. Because of all of these issues I want to submit a secondary claim for tinnitus for insomnia. Also, I currently have a zero percent for hearing loss and I want to submit an increase for hearing loss. Let me know how I can proceed with both claims. Thank you

I've seen a medical research study showing that OSA can cause tinnitus and also make it worse over time. Daytime sleepiness also brings on tinnitus

I had experienced with exploded battery mine and i worked on flight deck and hangar base sealed with noise heard of ringing and voices and sometime very annoying and distraction from concentration . But one of the most bothersome is that we had so many new invention that could better defense system hundred time the navy capacity with much less money but more paying to soldier

I was rated for tinnitus , but I told the doctor since the situation got worse about 2 years ago I started getting bad, migraines. It's daily . I feel like someone has a microphone near a speaker then I lose hearing for several seconds. I get headache's because of this .

My tinnitus goes with my heart beat..I had nurse and doctors take my heart beat. I tell them to let me know when they start, then I start counting my heart beat thru my tinnitus and will tell them what my heart is befor they tell me.....

I have tinnitus and now have hearing loss which the va paid for hearing aids due to it. Should I file for hearing loss as a secondary to tinnitus?

I was in the Navy,I worked on a flight line it was very noisy, sometimes makes ears ring

My tinnitus has morphed into a loud constant ringing and I have fallen on three occasions and look for things that are solid to touch for balance , also extremely tired all the time, I have a 70% disability pts and tinnitus , I’ve had this since 69 Vietnam , I took disability about 15 years ago and I could live with meds and therapy but now I’m having a hard time getting through the day without sleeping it’s that debilitating, having a brain scan July 4 at 7 am

How can I find the link to the studies for migraine headaches secondary to tinnitus?

I just got the letter today explaining the most recent grant for 30% chronic ottis externa and 10% for tinnitus. I got lucky and had a C&P over the phone with someone from my regional office and was able to read what they said well before I got this letter. My VA primary care and the ENT at Tripler in Honolulu say I have mastoiditis and need a mastoidectomy but the disability they have written in my rating decision is chronic ottis externa. In the rating they gave me the highest available rating under "peripheral vestibular disorder" which is 30% and is for vertigo that makes me stumble/walk like I'm drunk. So one question is that if it is chronic ottis externa should I have not also gotten the 10% rating for it in addition to the 30% for the vestibular disorder that is directly caused by the ottis externa? Basically what I am saying is that I think I should have gotten 10% for tinnitus, 10% for chronic ottis externa, and 30% for peripheral vestibular disorder. I don't think this would be an example of pyramiding since the symptoms for chronic ottis externa are smelly discharge, full feeling of the ear, etc and the vestibular disorder is pretty serious dizziness and staggering walking. I could see if I were claiming some other condition that caused dizziness and it wasn't possible to figure out what caused what but this isn't that. Also, I didn't actually file for tinnitus because I had previously been denied for it in 2010. In the decision it says "You did not specifically claim recurrent tinnitus, but we inferred it on your behalf based on the evidence of record(38 CFR 3.151)". I don't have that rating decision from 2010 in front of me but the evidence cited in this decision references stuff from my period of active duty and from the VA less than a month after getting discharged. It seems to me that the previous denial for tinnitus was an obvious mistake since they just inferred it this time. Right after I first filed that claim and almost immediately filed an intent to file and began researching the next claim. I've had major depressive disorder since I went through the MEB/PEB process but just recently started getting treatment. There is ample evidence in my record to support this including having complained about sleep issues, being extremely tired, lack of motivation while active duty and going through phsyical rehab for my previously service connected knee injury. I gained a lot of weight, got really depressed, started having insomnia(which I've been diagnosed with 3-4 times over the years), went to substance abuse rehab through the VA, had spotty work history, etc. So I filed for MDD secondary to tinnitus the second I noticed the additional disability in my service connected disabilities. There are a ton of issues that I had from the MDD and that potentially includes sleep apena. My VA shrink told me to ask my VA primary care to put in a consult for a sleep study which he did today. Just like with the last claim I filed a new intent to file as soon as I submitted this pending MDD claim.

Is there a secondary for bilateral hearing loss as well. Also I have tinnitus that I get compensation for. I applied for sleep apnea but I was denied even on a secondary

The single worst thing about being a veteran who is trying to navigatt he VA system is that it is basically designed for you to fail. I have service connected Tinnitus. I also have service connected PTSD. I have chronic headaches, anxiety and depression. How does one go about pursuing this with the VA? I am always lost and overwhelmed when I have to do anything with these people.

My anxiety causes my tinnitus...mental medication helps

I had 7 years active and 19 years in the reserves working around aircraft, does the VA take input from the reserve side of the house for claims?

I suffer from all of the above due to TBI. But can sleep apnea be a secondary condition to TBI? Please share a conversation about this, if you can. Thank you so much for all the info you share with us.

had my C&P today the DOCTOR was looking at my medical record as she was asking me questions had no ideal what was in my file. Did'nt have my the info I faxed to VES. CC&K hAs my case

Sat in the M60A1 4years, back in the 70s went from loader, driver and AI on table 8 filed for Tinnitus six years ago and was denied even though it’s in my medical record ( ringing in the ears) also lost hearing from the right ear. Filed an appeal last year and still waiting.

Hi guys, I am VERY late in seeing this lol (story of my life) I do have SC tinitis. Ihave been getting extremely bad headaches for years (retired army in 09) but never bothered looking into it cause i figured i could just get by. As i get older, they are more frequent. Is it possible to h ave my va provider do a diagnosis for this do ya think? i also have have sleep apnea .I never thoiught about what was causing these untill recently, and the tinnitus really makes sense why i need to have NOISE in the room to drown out the ringing. Thank you for the video :)

I am service connected,I get 10 percent for hearing loss which is not enough I can't work because I can't hear

Let's not forget Mefloquine exposure can also cause tinnitus. If you were issued Mefloquine (lariam) during service you may have a claim.

QUESTION..I WORKED IN THE NAVY WITH red Lead Paint and it is highly Toxic,also I worked around Asbestos how can I connect these exposures to Coughing Weezing COPD...Asbestos of both lungs on CT Scans ?

I made a mistake when I submitted my secondary claim for tinnitus. Migraines. I sent the Nexus statement for tinnitus and not the one for migraines. As soon as I realize I made the mistake I sent the correct Nexus now I’ve been waiting for over 3 months for a decision from a HLR

I got denied migraines secondary to tinnitus. I am bedridden for 2 to 3 days a month with nausea and vomiting. The rest of the month I have almost daily headaches. My C&P examiner said it was more likely than not caused by my diet or sleep, less likely than not by my tinnitus. The migraines didn't start to be bad until my tinnitus got real bad. I'm fighting the VA now. I have the diagnosis and a good ISO.

I got denied twice for tinnitus in my right ear . I get severed pain when anything vibrates near my ear then it bleeds.

Tinnitus is about to drive me crazy. It never stops and makes it impossible to sleep or think sometimes. I have ten percent

I was a 88H and a 63B

12 soldiers go for a hearing test, all records lost. Even the unit was said not to EXIST. RA Army on the 60s, VA said all records of Service don't exist , gave proof with a form I was given whenbi got out, they checked in their records, it was only given to to service members who died in 1953 on a destroyer off the coast of N.Korea. I would have been 6 years old. What I was told in confidence would sound even more INSANE.

It seems the VA denies every claim for OSA secondary to tinnitus. I believe they just make things up sometimes to refuse pay.

Would "Occular" migraine qualify?

Does a c&p exam generate a nexus letter?

Listening to a C130 on the flight line for 3 years and you will hear the moan of the take- offand whine of that prop forever

So if i previously filed a claim for migraines without it being a secondary condition and it was denied, I have to submit a supplemental claim for it before trying to get it as a secondary condition for my service connected disablty for tinnitus?

How do I get I get a nexus letter for sleep apnea secondary to tinitus?

I have Tinnitus from noise exposure in desert storm / iraqi freedom, insomnia,, fatigue and some anxiety... Can you help me??

I have service connected Tinnitus with insomnia. The V.A. RO gave only 10% for Tinnitus but nothing for insomnia because the "insomnia is a symptom of underlying disability, insomnia will be rated as a symptom of that condition".

I recently filed for hearing loss and tinnitus twice once in 2019 and again this year got denied both times. They said I have hearing loss but not severe enough and that my tinnitus was most likely caused post service, my vso says there is nothing more he can do. In the beginning of this video she said tinnitus is not life threatening but she is WRONG!

1st Gulf war veteran, all ready rated for Tinnitus, I have headaches server times a month, dizziness, and vertigo episodes 2 or 3 times over the last year or two. Do I need diagnosis or can these be presumptive?

I have tinnitus and plan to file for migraines and sleep apnea

Is Bruxism, night teeth grinding, secondary to Tinnitus?

I worked on a Spruance class destroyer for 3 1/2 years, in the engineroom. I have tinnitus and I have all of those conditions. Why isn't my vso and doctors helping me??

Catch the backblast from a 105 one time and you got it. Mortars, diesels, electric motors, flight deck, munitions all cause it.

Can you please explain trigger a duty to assist from the VA to set up a C&P exam? For sleep apnea? Does this differ from am actual claim? Are you saying I can get a C&P exam in place of a nexus?

IF i filling a claim headaches secondary to tinnitus the headaches must be service connected

Say you were diagnosed with tinnus and you have a 10 rating and has also diagnosed with depression PTSD anxiety and how do you go about the claim

Where are the links to the studies?

Is "eye tearing" associated with tinnitus

If my doc has requested me meds for my depression can I use that as proof of dispute for depression due too depression

I have tinnitus and a got 10% for migraines secondary to tinnitus. I just recently had the VA do a sleep test (at home) and I have severe sleep apnea. Do I need a nexus letter from a doctor to file a secondary claim? Do you guys help with type of claims? Thank you.

If I have awarded tinnitus, but suffer from migraines and sleep apnea and insomnia, can I file secondary for ALL (migraines, sleep apnea and insomnia) second to confirmed awarded tinnitus? Or do I have to file one at a time? Or do they need to link up to each other? Thanks!

I have service connected tinnitus and since leaving the military I have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. My problem is finding a doctor that will do a nexus letter to link them together.

Hi guys, how can I reach you? I have several questions to ask you.

I'm 50% Migraines 10% Tinnitus. I am presently dealing with Depression, Anxiety and Insomnia. How do you decided which to file a secondary claim for since they both can render some of the same conditions.

I have menieres diseases. I was told that I can file for tinnitus. Is that true?

Can directly link sleep apnea secondary to tinnitus??

Can these secondary conditions be separate, or do they get lumped together? For example, could I have a 30% rating for migraines, and another 50% for insomnia, for 2 separate ratings of 30% & 50%?

My ears feel like they blocked up at time,it has me depressed can't sleep at night

hello im service connected for tinnitus and added secondary migraines which they said its not service connected what should i do ?

I am in all those categories... Don't have any navigation help in filing... My neck is firing off nerves like crazy, I think this cause tinitus raging as well... Cck can you help me???

If I have. A tinnitus service connected And have been diagnosed with sleep apnea Do I need to have a doctor to say my tinnitus is causing sleep apnea. Or just file secondary?

I have tried for years to get the VA to recognize my ringing. Best they will do for me is to give me 0% Mean while my regular insurance recognized the severity of my ringing diagnosed by my doctor and is paying for hearing aids. Sometimes VA sucks!

I'm service-connected for tinnitus. I have insomnia caused by my tinnitus along with migraines. The VA also did a sleep study and issued me a CPAP machine. It seems I have most of the secondaries to tinnitus, but I get denied.

Is there anyone out there that will take a look at my case and tell me what can and can’t be accomplished before asking for money?

I weny on VA .Gov and learned they Combined my Hearing Loss(new claim) and and Hyperacusis& Migraines(Both secondary to Service connected to Tinnitus). Is that good or bad. ???

Hi I have tinnitus and I have sleep disorder and I take 4 pills for go to sleep can i make a claim for sleep disorders Thank You from PR 🇵🇷

Don't waste your time. They will deny you and never tell you why, so hell with them.

I from Puerto Rico, so I need somebody Speak spanihs, thank.

I have 20% disability for hearing ,I got that rating 11years .Since then my hearing has gotten worse .can I reapply to get a higher rate ?

can Hypertention secondary to Tinnitus?

How do I prove I have migraines

Hey how are you? Got question. I am 10% service connected for Tinnitus. At my C& P exam the Doctor told me I have moderate to substantial hearing loss and he advised me to file an additional clam for that. Additionally, I was also diagnosed for Hyperacusis and Migraines and have received Nexus letters for each. So, I just filed for both of them as secondary to my service-connected Tinnitus. Now during my C & P exam for Hearing loss the Doc told me he also said he agrees with my private doc and will rule in favor of me for the Hyperacusis and Migraines but he further said his opinion on the Migraines may not count because usually a C& P exam for Migraines are performed by a Neurologist. Any thoughts ? Id love to hear your opinion. . Thank u

Tinnitus was denied... Letter also said i have Tinnitus... Any secondary tinnitus claims available??

HAHAHAHAHAHA! I love how you keep saying "Allows the VA to..........."! Allowing the VA to rate you is a phrase that should not exist. They do everything they can NOT to give you a rating. They have no need to be allowed, but need to be forced! VA does not even follow their own rules in granting or increasing claims!

She is pretty

My husband has a claim in to be service connected for hearing loss/tinnitus. It’s been 8 months with no decision. C &P exam in January 2021. He suffers depression and insomnia … should he file a claim now for mental health before a decision on hearing loss is made?? Or does he need to wait until decision is granted on hearing?

What about vertigo I filed for vertigo