Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2023

The Veteran is seeking service connection for dizziness/vertigo and sleep impairment as secondary to his service-connected tinnitus. The Board has determined that additional development, including a VA examination, is needed to address these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spondylosis and vertigo due to unclear functional loss and potential need for additional examinations. The Veteran will be scheduled for VA-provided examinations to determine the severity of his cervical spine disorder and whether he has a current vertigo condition, including its etiology.

Service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to back impairment is granted.,An initial rating of 30 percent, but no greater, for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, Meniere's disease, diabetes, tendonitis of the right wrist, mild osteoarthritis of the left knee, and mild osteoarthritis of the right knee, prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to November 6, 2015. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for acquired psychiatric disabilities, Meniere's disease, cervical spine disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, and lumbosacral spine disability due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's complete service treatment records are not available.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for vertigo as a residual of traumatic brain injury and bilateral hearing loss has been granted. The case is remanded for further consideration regarding the Veteran's TDIU claim.

The Veteran's initial 30 percent rating for service-connected Meniere's disease is granted, but the compensable ratings under Diagnostic Codes 6204 and 6205 are discontinued effective from December 29, 2020.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia, effective date prior to September 30, 2013 for a 70 percent rating for PTSD with TBI, and compensable ratings for right and left lower extremity internal saphenous nerve reflex sympathetic dystrophy were denied. The claim for ratings in excess of 10 percent for right and left sciatic nerve reflex sympathetic dystrophy prior to January 25, 2018 and from that date was also denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable, and the appeal is denied.,The Veteran's lumbar strain with lumbar muscle spasm requires additional development to determine if there are any functional limitations or flare-ups that affect his ability to work.,Service connection for left lower extremity neuropathy and right lower extremity neuropathy is remanded due to lack of evidence of peripheral neuropathy at the time of examination.,Service connection for dizziness and vertigo (secondary to service-connected traumatic brain injury) is remanded as there was no radiculopathy found during the lumbar spine examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI, hypertension, right ear hearing loss, Meniere's disease, tinnitus, migraines, and neurocardiogenic syncope. The AOJ implemented this decision in a June 2023 rating decision.

The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to readjudicate his claims for service connection for various conditions, including headaches, vertigo, left thumb disability, tailbone disability, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability. The claims are remanded for additional examinations regarding tailbone, cervical spine, lumbar spine, sciatic nerve, left wrist, left hand, and bilateral foot disabilities, as well as for an examination to determine the etiology of vertigo and sleep apnea.

The Board granted service connection for TBI and assigned a rating of 100% effective July 16, 2012. The Board also found that the Veteran's Meniere's disease, migraines, and neurocardiogenic syncope all stem from TBI and resulted in his inability to care for himself, granting SMC-T with an effective date of July 16, 2012.

The Board has remanded the case due to duty-to-assist errors, including a lack of an opinion on whether the dizziness is related to active service and whether it was aggravated by the service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches, peripheral vestibular disorder (PVD), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and empty sella syndrome (ESS) are all granted. The grants are based on direct service connection.,Service connection is established for migraine headaches, PVD, GERD secondary to hypogonadism post pituitary microadenoma with obesity as an intermediate step, and ESS secondary to the same condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for dizziness and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) as there was no evidence of a causal relationship to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to determine current disability levels.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction was granted, but his claims for initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for scars, GERD with ulcers, and vertigo/syncope were remanded due to insufficient evidence.,The Board acknowledged the Veteran's assertions of secondary service connection for these conditions but found that additional medical opinions were needed.

The Veteran's service connection claim for TBI residuals, including headaches and benign positional vertigo, is granted. The Board found that the Veteran experienced a TBI event during service which resulted in current TBI residuals.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) as secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's vertigo is not related to his military service or a service-connected disability, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.