Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2008

The veteran's cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, bilateral eye conditions (including cataracts and glaucoma), blurred vision of the left eye, concussion, peripheral vestibular disorder, tinnitus, and depression are not related to his military service. The veteran does not have any service-connected disabilities that would allow him to be granted a TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and other claimed disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and service.

The veteran's vertigo with a history of blurred vision is rated at 30 percent, the highest available under Diagnostic Code 6204. The left shoulder disability remains rated at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further evidentiary development, including a VA compensation examination and consideration of evidence regarding in-service noise exposure.

The Board has denied service connection for a right low back disorder due to lack of evidence of an in-service injury and the absence of continuity of symptomatology. Service connection is granted for inner ear disorders (vertigo and dizziness) secondary to service-connected tinnitus, but further examination is needed as the issue remains pending.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied, but new evidence was received that may reopen his claim for a low back disability. The veteran is presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

The Board found that the veteran's Meniere's disease was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not proximately due to a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's Meniere's disease is not related to his active military service.

The Board found that the veteran's peripheral vestibular disorder, claimed as vertigo, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and could not be presumed to have been so incurred due to Agent Orange exposure. The Board also determined there was no evidence of aggravation of a pre-existing condition during service.

The veteran's service-connected labyrinthitis and Meniere's disease with tinnitus and left ear hearing loss disability meets or more nearly approximates the criteria for a 60 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 6205, effective from July 19, 2000.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have Meniere's disease that is attributable to his active military service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's current vertigo and tinnitus are not related to service or a service-connected disability, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining authentication of supporting statements and securing treatment records. The veteran's inner ear disability is being evaluated to determine if it is related to service noise trauma.

The Board denied reopening the claim of service connection for vertigo, and denied an effective date prior to February 12, 1992, for the grant of service connection for residuals of a medial collateral ligament strain of the left knee. The rating for the left knee was also denied, as was the request for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's Meniere's syndrome and chronic adjustment disorder with depressed mood are both rated at 30 percent, but the Board has granted higher ratings for each condition.

The veteran's current vertigo resulting in loss of balance with broken bones and arthritis was not incurred in or aggravated by his active service, and is not proximately due to or the result of the service-connected bilateral hearing loss with history of otitis media.

The veteran's service-connected vertigo is currently evaluated as 30 percent disabling, which is the maximum schedular evaluation available under the assigned diagnostic code. The Board finds that an increased rating for this condition is not warranted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Meniere's syndrome, chronic rhinosinusitis/sinusitis, residuals of cold weather trauma, residuals of carbon tetrachloride exposure, and depression. The appeals were based on secondary service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's current diagnosis of vertigo did not manifest during service or within close proximity to it, and there is no competent medical evidence linking his current condition to a service-connected disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for vertigo was denied.

The veteran's service-connected vertigo and labyrinthitis are currently rated at 10 percent, the minimum rating available.