Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2008

The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection for a lung disability, rheumatic arthritis, and labyrinthitis and vertigo to the RO/AMC for additional development.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, vertigo, and COPD with emphysema as these conditions were not found to be related to the appellant's military service.

The Board found that the veteran's vertigo, neck condition, and bilateral hearing loss were not related to his military service over 60 years ago.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, a chronic left elbow disability, a chronic low back disability, and residuals of a neck injury as there is no competent medical evidence relating any current disabilities to the veteran's active service.

The Board denied service connection for disequilibrium, claimed as vertigo; a left knee disability; and a low back disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for vertigo and a compensable evaluation for left ear otitis externa with defective hearing, as there was no evidence that his additional disabilities were caused by VA carelessness or unforeseeable events.

The veteran's appeal for an increased rating and service connection for vertigo is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his dizziness and/or vertigo.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was reopened, but denied. The claim for service connection for vertigo was also denied.

The veteran's degenerative disc disease in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine was not service-connected. However, involuntary twitching of the arms, hands and legs and vertigo were both service-connected as due to an undiagnosed illness based on his Persian Gulf War service.

The Board granted service connection for vertigo and Ménière's disease based on their causation by the veteran's service-connected conditions.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for Meniere's syndrome was remanded for additional development, including an updated VA examination and review of more recent treatment records.

The claim for service connection for Meniere's disease was reopened based on new and material evidence, but the issue of entitlement to service connection remains pending further development.

The veteran's claim for an increase in the ratings for otitis media with hearing loss is being remanded to provide proper VCAA notice and further medical examination.

The Board denied service connection for a cardiovascular disability, benign prostatic hypertrophy, bronchial asthma, vertigo, and polyarthritis as these conditions were not shown to be related to the veteran's active service.

The veteran's left knee disability was rated at 20 percent, resolving reasonable doubt in his favor. The claims for service connection for a right knee disability and Meniere's syndrome were denied.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for further development of evidence, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The veteran is granted a total disability rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities, effective October 7, 1998.

The veteran's hypertension with blurred vision, vertigo and nausea was denied as it was not related to his service or a service-connected disability.

The veteran's vertigo (Meniere's disease) is related to noise exposure and hearing loss incurred during military service, and a 10 percent rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was assigned effective July 31, 2007.

The appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling a VA examination.