Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are related to his military service. As such, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Board has determined that a retroactive increase for vertigo is not warranted after the service connection was severed.

The Veteran has withdrawn their appeal, thus the case is dismissed.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including an addendum opinion from an ENT specialist regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea was worsened by his service-connected Meniere's disease and/or traumatic brain injury.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral vestibular disease (vertigo) and denied service connection for fibromyalgia and chronic disability of the fallopian tubes. Service connection was also granted for ovarian cysts.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining additional medical evidence and arranging for a VA examination to determine the frequency of her vertigo attacks and whether she has cerebellar gait.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is caused by his service-connected Meniere's syndrome and epididymis, which have resulted in significant isolation and anxiety.

The Board found that the evidence does not support service connection for Meniere's disease as it is not related to active duty service or a service-connected disability, specifically diabetes mellitus type II.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, thus the case is dismissed.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for neuralgia of the right arm and granted service connection for facial skin condition (rosacea) as secondary to sleep apnea. Service connection was denied for positional vertigo and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's inner ear disability, manifested by vertigo and dizziness, is granted service connection. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at the minimum (10%) level. Tinnitus is also rated at the minimum (10%) level.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed headaches and vertigo are not related to his active duty service, and therefore denied service connection for these conditions. The Veteran's TDIU claim was also denied as there is no evidence showing he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for dizziness and vertigo, including as due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, is not fully developed and requires additional development before a decision can be made.

The Veteran is granted a 50 percent disability rating for PTSD prior to October 23, 2013. The effective date of this increased rating remains April 15, 2013.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the 100 percent disability rating for Meniere's disease is denied as there was no increase in disability level within one year prior to her claim.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for vestibular dysfunction was denied as his symptoms were already compensated by the assigned schedular ratings.,The Veteran's headaches did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, and thus he is still rated at 0 percent.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was rated at 50 percent prior to October 5, 2017 and 60 percent thereafter. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any period.,The Veteran is also service connected for dizziness (vertigo) which has been rated as 30 percent disabling. His TDIU claim was granted.

The Veteran's vertigo and dizziness are considered secondary to his service-connected tinnitus, which means he is already receiving compensation for these conditions. Therefore, the claim for 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 compensation for vertigo and dizziness is denied.

The Veteran's loss of balance and dizziness following neck mass excision in April 2009 are not considered to be service-connected, as no additional disability was found.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, arranging for a medical examination, and conducting initial review of all pertinent evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities combine to preclude substantially gainful employment, and the Board finds that he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of his service connected disabilities. Therefore, TDIU is granted.