Question:

I served from January 1975 to January 1981. I was in Navy RTC when the VietNam war ended. I know I am considered a VietNam era Veteran. I was awarded a 10% service connected disability for tinnitus and a 100% Non-service connected disability for degenerative disk disease from working for the USPS. Can my 10% be upgraded to 100%. Tinnitus is worsening, I can't focus, it sounds like something is on all the time disrupting my sleep and causing me to drop a statistics class 4 times. What can I do?

Jim's Reply:

Tinnitus is rated as 10% maximum for both ears. There won't be any increase of that rating. You may seek a rating for a secondary condition caused by tinnitus, such as depression, anxiety and so on. You'll likely need an IMO to prevail. https://www.vawatchdog.org/imo-ime-medical-opinions-exams.html