Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2021

The Board has decided that the case needs to be remanded for further development and examination, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and private treatment records. The Veteran's Meniere's syndrome is being reviewed in relation to his service history and any potential connection to his hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection or compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for Meniere’s disease, aphonia, and bladder injury with voiding dysfunction due to pending AMA claims.

The Veteran's vertigo, diagnosed as BPPV, is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service. The Board affirms the denial of service connection for vertigo.,Service connection for hypothyroidism status post thyroidectomy is denied because it was due to an intercurrent cause (the thyroidectomy). Service connection for a cervical spine disorder and erectile dysfunction are remanded as they may be related to service-connected disabilities. The umbilical hernia claim is also remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for vertigo, finding that there is no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and his military service or any service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo and sleep apnea disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their relationship to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for bilateral hearing loss from March 23, 2016 to June 28, 2016 was denied. The Veteran's claim for a disability rating of 100 percent for vertigo with impaired balance with hearing loss and tinnitus from June 28, 2016 through December 13, 2017 was granted.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for his peripheral vestibular disorder is granted, with a 10 percent disability rating effective since January 1, 2014.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left foot disability and vertigo, finding that there was no evidence to support these conditions were incurred in or related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and an examination to determine if the Veteran's vertigo is related to service, including any in-service noise exposure or acoustic trauma. The hearing loss case remains denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and a shell fragment wound of the left leg with a fracture, have rendered him unable to work since July 2005. The Board has granted his claim for TDIU on an extraschedular basis from July 1, 2005.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his four service-connected conditions do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Meniere's syndrome and a psychiatric disability, including anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, as well as the rating for his right knee disabilities have all been denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's request to withdraw his claim for peripheral vestibular disorder was granted. The claims of bilateral hearing loss and valvular heart disorder (claimed as ischemic heart disease) were reopened due to the submission of new evidence, but service connection was not established. Service connection for anxiety and panic disorder was denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeal for TDIU and SMC benefits due to incomplete information regarding his disability retirement and need for aid and assistance. The AOJ is instructed to obtain relevant SSA records, contact the entity providing him with disability retirement benefits, and refer the issue of entitlement to a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to October 25, 2017, to the VA Undersecretary for Benefits or the AOJ’s Director of Compensation Service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's Meniere's syndrome and vertigo, as well as her left ear impairment, with service. The Veteran is required to undergo a VA examination to determine these relationships.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorder and vertigo, finding that there was no causal link between his current conditions and his military service. The Board also found that the July 2016 and January 2020 VA opinions were adequate in assessing the relationship between the Veteran's knee disorders and back strain.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for epilepsy (abdominal type) and related symptoms is reopened, but the Board has determined that a remand is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of any current disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for vertigo and migraines have been dismissed due to the appellant withdrawing his appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected frequent headaches with staggering vertigo, but the Court vacated this decision and ordered a remand due to insufficient reasons and bases.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with a previous directive. The Veteran's hearing loss is associated with stress, anxiety, vertigo, dizziness, vision problems, and cataracts. A new VA examination is needed to address these conditions.