Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for headaches and vertigo and loss of balance disability are remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess their current state and relationship to service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which is characterized by periods of dizziness, had its initially onset during his active service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a brainstem disability, headache disability, and vertigo and loss of balance are remanded due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran must be scheduled for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for vertigo remains pending. The Board has remanded the claims of higher ratings for PTSD with TBI, bilateral hearing loss, and left foot pes planus.,Further development is needed to obtain VA treatment records from the Coatesville VAMC, reschedule a VA audiological examination, and conduct a comprehensive VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected left foot disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for left benign paroxysmal positional vertigo due to insufficient medical evidence regarding its onset in service and whether it is related to his service-connected hearing loss and/or tinnitus. The case will be returned to VA for further examination and consideration.

The Veteran's awards for service connection for various knee and shoulder conditions, as well as sinusitis, were granted with an effective date of August 12, 2011. The Veteran appealed the effective dates.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient analysis in a previous VA examination regarding the relationship between vertigo and service-connected PTSD.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to determine if the Veteran's asthma, vertigo, and Barrett’s Esophagus are secondary to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's Meniere’s syndrome with vertigo is granted an initial disability rating of 30 percent, effective from February 13, 2015. The separate ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are reinstated.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and Meniere’s disease were not shown to be related to his military service, and the Board denied both claims.

The Veteran's current vertigo is neither the direct result of an injury, disease, or event incurred in active military service nor caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Veteran's Meniere's syndrome is related to service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence received after the last decision, and the AOJ needs to consider this additional information before making a final determination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and evaluation of the Veteran's service-connected external otitis, including determining its extent and severity, attributing symptoms to the condition, and assessing whether other diagnoses are proximately caused or aggravated by it. The claim will be referred to the Director of Compensation if extraschedular consideration is warranted.

The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of IBS, CFS, sleep disturbance (which is related to PTSD), or vertigo. The claims for these conditions are denied. However, due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's vertigo, the case is being remanded for further examination and analysis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and paroxysmal positional vertigo are remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for dizziness, to include Meniere’s disease, finding that there is no evidence linking her current disability to service.

The Veteran's headaches are granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD, low back disability, and tinnitus. The Veteran's chronic fatigue syndrome is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral vestibular disorder, and the issues of TDIU and SMC benefits are remanded.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is service connected. The issues of bilateral hearing loss and vertigo are remanded for further development.