Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2009

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for a sinus disability and positional vertigo due to additional development being required.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for dizziness and vertigo, claimed as secondary to his service-connected bilateral otitis media, mastoiditis, and cholesteatoma with dizziness, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of medical records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the evidence does not meet the criteria to establish service connection for each condition.,The Veteran has been granted a higher initial evaluation of 100 percent for PTSD.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, vertigo, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The appeals were withdrawn by the Veteran at the time of his hearing before the Board.

The Board has determined that additional VA examinations and development are needed to properly evaluate the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for Meniere's syndrome and otitis media.

The Veteran's Meniere's syndrome is manifested by recurrent tinnitus, attacks of vertigo occurring more than once weekly, and left ear hearing loss. The disability does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 6205 due to lack of evidence of cerebellar gait. If evaluated separately, the Veteran's symptoms are rated as follows: tinnitus (10%), left ear hearing loss (noncompensable), and vertigo (30%).

The Board found that the Veteran did not have a link between his service, including incidents of heat stroke, and current diagnoses of vertigo or bilateral light sensitivity. The claim for residuals of a body concussion related to a bomb blast was remanded due to additional development being necessary.

The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome is service-connected as a qualifying chronic disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317, while his Meniere's disease was denied as not related to active service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial evaluation of vertigo with bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, claimed as Meniere's Syndrome, was denied. However, a separate compensable rating for tinnitus since June 10, 1999, was granted.

The Veteran's chronic sinusitis and Meniere's disease were determined to be related to his military service.

The Board remands the case for a VA examination to determine the etiology of vertigo and Meniere's Disease, including whether they are related to service or caused by a service-connected disability.

The Board denied service connection for vertigo and hypertension, finding no relationship between the Veteran's conditions and his military service or service-connected PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a brain tumor, finding no evidence of in-service exposure to ionizing radiation and no medical evidence linking the condition to her military service.

The Board finds that benign positional vertigo is a result of service or service-connected disabilities, giving the benefit of the doubt to the Veteran.

The Veteran was scheduled for VA examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed disabilities, but he did not report for these appointments. The case is being remanded to schedule appropriate examinations.

The Veteran's Meniere's syndrome was not shown to have occurred in service, or as a result of a disease or injury that occurred in service, nor was it shown to have been caused or permanently made worse by a service connected disability.

The Veteran failed to respond to requests for information essential for the proper adjudication of his claims, and thus has abandoned them.

The Veteran's residuals of metallic fragment injury to the left facial area with chipped fragments of the right orbit and metallic fragments in the left maxilla include manifestations of sinusitis with more than six non-incapacitating episodes per year characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting. The claim for a bilateral eye disorder was denied as there is no evidence that it is etiologically related to an in-service injury or other event. The claim for vertigo was also denied as it is not etiologically related to the Veteran's service or to tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and vertigo as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for Meniere's Disease and found that the Veteran did not have an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent for Type II diabetes mellitus, a 30 percent rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease, or any compensable ratings for hypertension, onychomycosis, or erectile dysfunction.