Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2012

The Board found no evidence to support a direct or secondary service connection for vertigo, and denied the claim.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA vocational rehabilitation records and private treatment records. The Veteran's vertigo or Meniere's disease need to be evaluated by a VA examiner to determine if it is related to his service.

The Veteran's claims for various conditions, including neurological disabilities of the extremities, vertigo, spontaneous fevers and chills, sleep apnea, hypertension, headaches, skin rash condition, and malignant melanoma, were denied as there is no competent medical or credible lay evidence to support these claims. The appeal does not involve service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim of hypertension, and that vertigo/dizziness, skin disorder, left upper extremity neurological disorders, right upper extremity neurological disorders, and injury to the right upper extremity are not related to active duty service or secondary to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's Meniere's syndrome, previously rated as separate ratings for hearing loss and labyrinthitis, is now rated at 100 percent effective July 28, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case due to an issue of service connection for positional vertigo being intertwined with a claim for service connection for headaches. The AOJ should readjudicate both issues and obtain a clarifying opinion regarding the cause of the vertigo.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development of medical records and examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran's Meniere's disease was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and denied this claim. The low back disability issue is pending as it does not involve a presumption of exposure, new evidence, or direct service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine the nature and likely etiology of his claimed disabilities, including vertigo, left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, left hip disability, and right hip disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including PTSD and Meniere's disease, were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The claim for TDIU is also denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's headaches, vertigo, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are all related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to her military service, and she has a reasonable doubt in favor of her claim for service connection. The Board also finds that there is a reasonable doubt as to whether her cervical spine disability is related to her military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication, including obtaining a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's dizziness is caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for vertigo and found that the Veteran's headaches do not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Veteran is currently rated as noncompensable for his headaches.

The Veteran's vertigo, tinnitus, and pharyngeal polyps were not found to be related to service. The hearing loss disability was also not found to be related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of Meniere's disease, bilateral hearing loss, or an acquired psychiatric disorder that is related to his military service.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and Meniere's disease effective October 27, 2006. The Veteran was assigned a 10% rating for bilateral hearing loss from that date until September 15, 2010, when the rating was increased to 10%. Service connection for chronic physical disability characterized by malaise and Meniere's disease were also granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's vertigo and psychiatric disorder are not related to service, with the preponderance of evidence against a finding that they were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's cluster headaches were manifested by characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on average once a month over the last several months, but very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability were not shown.,Prior to October 7, 2011, the Veteran was granted an evaluation of 30 percent for cluster headaches under Diagnostic Code 8100.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations to clarify the diagnosis of his vertigo symptoms and to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.