Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2015

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and employment information related to his Meniere's disease.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Travel Board hearing and the procedural defect in not providing a Statement of the Case (SOC) regarding his claims for service connection for vertigo and syncope.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected hearing loss and vertigo with severe tinnitus and occasional staggering alone cause him to be unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claim can be fully adjudicated, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the relationship between vertigo and service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to uncertainty regarding the cause of his gait issues and whether they are related to his service-connected BPPV. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary due to the inadequacy of the August 2007 VA examination and the need for further medical evaluation regarding the relationship between the Veteran's vertigo and his service-connected sinusitis or migraine headaches.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including left knee disability, left ankle disability, and left hip fracture residuals. The issues of chronic headaches, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), psychiatric disability, vertigo, back disability, and right eye cataracts were also addressed.

The Board has granted service connection for chloracne due to herbicide exposure, but denied the claim for an effective date earlier than September 7, 2004, for the grant of service connection for Meniere's syndrome.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of vertigo is traceable to his period of active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has vacated its June 30, 2015 decision denying service connection for positional vertigo due to the submission of new evidence. The July 2011 VA examination concluded that the current positional vertigo is unrelated to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's vertigo is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine if it is related to service or a service-connected disability, specifically bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for multiple undiagnosed illnesses affecting various joints and the right and left hands, knees, shoulders, and wrists.,Service connection is established for these conditions based on their occurrence during active duty in the Southwest Asia Theater of operations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Meniere's disease and postural hypotension due to Meniere's disease were granted, with a 30% rating effective December 18, 2009.

The Veteran's service-connected peripheral vestibular disorder and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are rated at 10 percent, but the Board has determined that a higher rating of 30 percent is warranted based on his Meniere's syndrome.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's TBI residuals, including headaches and vertigo, are rated at 10 percent. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is pending as a separate issue. The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and postoperative fusion of the left ankle with shortening, as well as his claim for TDIU, are denied. The current disability ratings adequately reflect the severity of these conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to verify the Veteran's claimed exposure to herbicides and to obtain his complete VA treatment records. The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded for a new VA examination regarding his vestibular disability.

The Board found no evidence of a relationship between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and his active service, and denied service connection for vertigo as it was less likely than not related to his hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for vertigo and TDIU has been denied. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence does not support a compensable rating for headaches, and there is insufficient evidence to establish a relationship between the Veteran's dizziness and his active service or any service-connected disability.

The Board has granted a rating of 30 percent for peripheral vestibular disorder and tinnitus as residuals of TBI, effective from the date of the decision.