Vertigo & vestibular disorders Board decisions

The Veteran was granted service connection for various disabilities, but only received noncompensable ratings.,A 10 percent initial rating was assigned for hemorrhoids.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for migraine headaches with dizziness was granted, but the effective date of service connection is earlier than initially thought. The current maximum schedular rating of 30 percent has been maintained.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a vestibular disorder and TDIU are being remanded due to inadequate development. A new VA examination by a TBI specialist is required, along with obtaining current treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case for a hearing before the RO, and the Veteran is entitled to another in-person hearing.

The Board found the VA examination report inadequate for rating purposes due to lack of discussion on the relationship between current symptoms and those noted in service, as well as whether any such disorder pre-existed service. The Veteran's vertigo is not considered related to his service-connected hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's vertigo was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service and denied his claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for dizziness, including on a secondary basis to his service-connected defective hearing and anxiety disorder, was denied. The issue of an increased rating for bilateral defective hearing was also denied. The issues regarding TDIU and SMC based on the need for aid and attendance or at the housebound rate were not addressed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, and Meniere's disease were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service event that would support these claims.

The Veteran's current Meniere's Disease is found to be incurred in service, as it was likely related to noise exposure during his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and arrange for a VA examination. The issue of service connection for flu-like symptoms and vertigo will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Veteran seeks service connection for Meniere's disease, which he claims is related to his hearing loss and tinnitus. The VA examiner found that the Meniere's disease was unlikely secondary to hearing loss but did not address whether it was related to military service or any incident therein.

The Board has determined that additional development is required before the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and Meniere's disease as secondary to service-connected tinnitus can be decided.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's Meniere's disease, which required an endolymphatic shunt procedure in 1976, had its onset during active service and is therefore granted service connection.

The Veteran's vertigo is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining treatment records from a private physician and providing proper VCAA notice regarding the secondary service connection theory.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for ear infections and/or cholesteatoma, earaches, and a peripheral vestibular disorder (claimed as loss of balance and motion sickness), all secondary to residuals of his left tympanic membrane perforation.

The Board found that the Veteran's vertigo and dizziness did not have its onset in service, is not related to service, and was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities. The claim for service connection for these conditions has been denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo and a compensable disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss were both denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current ear disability manifested as vertigo or dizziness, and his hearing loss was not shown to be at least 10% disabling.

The Veteran's appeal was partially withdrawn, and the remaining issues of service connection for lumbar spine disability, psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety, and depression), tinnitus, and ear condition were remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy is linked to his vestibular disorder, which was incurred in service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis and an increased rating for Meniere's syndrome were both denied by the RO. He has filed timely notices of disagreement with these decisions.