Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2013

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his vertigo and whether it is related to service. The case will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and Meniere's disease are being remanded due to the inextricability of these issues. The RO/AMC will address the claim for service connection for Meniere's disease first, followed by a re-evaluation of the claims for hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate previous opinions and inextricably intertwined issues.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient documentation of the Veteran's reports and need for clarification on whether Meniere's disease is related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a hearing and obtain additional medical records. The issues of increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for mild traumatic brain injury with residuals of vertigo are pending.

The Board has determined that additional actions are required to address the Veteran's claims, including clarifying whether a psychiatric disorder claim is resolved and scheduling a videoconference hearing.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals on multiple issues, including mood disorder due to TBI, seizure disorder due to TBI, vertigo, and pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB).

The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for vertigo and fibromyalgia need further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's current vertigo and fibromyalgia may be related to her in-service symptoms and conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran's symptoms of nausea, dizziness, and loss of balance are not related to service or a service-connected disability. Therefore, his claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea, fractures to the left wrist/hand, vertigo, and nose/sinus/throat problems did not begin in service or are otherwise related to service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and personnel records. The VA will then review the claims and provide a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Veteran's claims for sleep apnea, asthma, hypertension, skin cancer, knot on left leg (shin), and Meniere's disease were denied as they are not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Board hearing at the RO.

The Veteran was granted service connection for various disabilities, but only received noncompensable ratings.,A 10 percent initial rating was assigned for hemorrhoids.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for migraine headaches with dizziness was granted, but the effective date of service connection is earlier than initially thought. The current maximum schedular rating of 30 percent has been maintained.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a vestibular disorder and TDIU are being remanded due to inadequate development. A new VA examination by a TBI specialist is required, along with obtaining current treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case for a hearing before the RO, and the Veteran is entitled to another in-person hearing.

The Board found the VA examination report inadequate for rating purposes due to lack of discussion on the relationship between current symptoms and those noted in service, as well as whether any such disorder pre-existed service. The Veteran's vertigo is not considered related to his service-connected hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's vertigo was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service and denied his claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for dizziness, including on a secondary basis to his service-connected defective hearing and anxiety disorder, was denied. The issue of an increased rating for bilateral defective hearing was also denied. The issues regarding TDIU and SMC based on the need for aid and attendance or at the housebound rate were not addressed.