Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2015

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for earaches, fatigue, upper and lower extremity pain, vertigo, and blurred vision as secondary to his service-connected allergic rhinosinusitis.

The Board has granted service connection for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, finding that it is directly related to the Veteran's in-service ear injury. The issue of secondary service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was mooted by this decision.

The Veteran's Meniere's disease with hearing loss and tinnitus increased in severity to a 100 percent rating on August 8, 2011. The effective date for this increase is set at July 20, 2012.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is established as service-connected. The claims for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo are also granted as secondary to the service-connected right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development and medical inquiry, including obtaining VA treatment records since February 2015, providing notice regarding negative responses from the RMC and private hospitals, and requesting an addendum opinion on whether a vertigo disorder began in or is related to active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a claim for direct service connection of Meniere's disease, and needs further medical examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's vertigo, dizziness, and imbalance are symptoms of his service-connected migraine headache disability rather than a separate and distinct disability.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral tinnitus and Meniere's disease, finding that the disabilities did not manifest during or as a result of military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not due to noise exposure during his period of active service, and grants service connection for this condition. The claim for service connection for vertigo must be remanded for a new VA examination.

The Board found no evidence of current otitis media, tinnitus, or vertigo in the Veteran's medical records.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for these conditions were denied as there is no current disability to support them.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable prior to May 13, 2009. As of that date, a compensable rating (10%) has been assigned.,For the TBI with residuals of vertigo issue, an initial 10% rating was granted effective October 27, 2010.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral vestibular disorder (claimed as acute labyrinthitis) was granted with an effective date of June 20, 2012.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to November 20, 1990 and July 25, 2008 for service connection have been denied.,Claims for increased ratings for chondromalacia patella of the right knee and left knee were also denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, but denied his other service connection and rating claims.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to service connection and ratings for positional vertigo, PTSD, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss prior to May 9, 2007, and from May 9, 2007.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for posttraumatic organic brain disease, traumatic brain injury with vertigo, migraine headaches associated with TBI with vertigo, and bilateral tinnitus associated with TBI with vertigo prior to October 23, 2008 are denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the cause of the Veteran's death and whether his service-connected conditions contributed to his death. The appellant asserts that Meniere's disease caused her husband's death, but VA medical opinions are needed to address these issues.

The Board has determined that service connection for tinnitus is granted, but the claims for bilateral hearing loss and vertigo are being remanded due to incomplete records.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and additional medical records, as well as the potential impact on the Veteran's tinnitus disability rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for Meniere's disease, and there was insufficient evidence to establish service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disorders.