Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2022

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and medical opinion regarding his bilateral ear conditions, including tinnitus. The issue of entitlement to service connection for these conditions, as well as an increased rating for tinnitus, remains pending.

The Board has denied service connection for diplopia and tremor disorder, finding no current disability. The appeal for Meniere's disease and migraine headaches is remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.,Service connection for Meniere's disease and migraine headaches remains pending as the appeals are currently in a state of being both granted and not granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is related to in-service dizzy spells and a head injury sustained during a motor vehicle accident, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's service-connected Peripheral Vestibular Disorder (BPPV) is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no basis to grant a higher initial rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral vertigo, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to military service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the appeal is remanded due to incomplete records and errors in duty to assist. The Veteran's cause of death was cardiopulmonary disease with end-stage Alzheimer's disease, but the Board finds it unclear whether his service-connected vertigo contributed to his death.

The Board has denied service connection for allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, a heart disorder, a skin disorder (tinea infection), vertigo, and headaches as they are not related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, hearing loss, tinnitus, and Meniere's syndrome due to lack of credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor actually occurred.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss with vertigo was granted a 30 percent rating prior to February 23, 2022. From that date, the Veteran is denied a rating in excess of 70 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's peripheral vestibular condition and its relationship to his service-connected tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss. The case is also being remanded for the acquisition of updated VA treatment records.

The Veteran's cyst on the back, diagnosed as a benign lipoma, is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his active duty service.,The Veteran's heart disability, consisting of mild aortic calcification and mitral valve incompetence, is also not service-connected because there is no medical evidence showing its onset during or related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, vertigo, headaches, and erectile dysfunction (due to herbicide agent exposure) based on the Veteran's credible statements regarding his in-service noise exposure and symptoms.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for right knee disability as secondary to his service-connected right ankle disability, finding that the fall and resulting injury to the right knee was a result of the Veteran's vertigo rather than the service-connected right ankle giving way.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for Meniere's syndrome and his claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to new evidence and development needs.

The Veteran requested to withdraw all issues on appeal, and the Board dismissed them as a result.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an inner ear disability, including as secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability, and for TDIU due to unclear diagnoses and inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to a failure to make reasonable efforts to obtain VA treatment records or relevant federal or private treatment records, and provided an inadequate VA examination or opinion.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for headaches and vertigo due to a lack of VA examination to determine if these conditions are related to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.

The Veteran's NHL caused his vertigo, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left ear hearing loss and otitis media, rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).