Vertigo & vestibular disorders Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran's Meniere's disease was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for pharyngitis, labyrinthitis (also claimed as vertigo, tinnitus and an ear disorder), dorsolumbar paravertebral myositis, and dysthymic disorder. The decision is final due to lack of new and material evidence.

The veteran is granted a separate 10 percent rating for residuals of cerebral concussion effective January 30, 1982. The adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood is rated as 10 percent since November 7, 1996. The left ear injury is rated at 10 percent prior to March 20, 1996.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for a higher initial evaluation for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, finding that the current 10% rating is appropriate given his subjective complaints of occasional dizziness. The effective date issue was also denied as there is no evidence of entitlement to an earlier effective date.

The Board denied service connection for vertigo and did not assign an initial compensable evaluation for residuals of a fracture of the left orbit and maxillary bone. The veteran does not have these conditions, and his scars are not disfiguring or severely disfiguring.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for tinnitus with vertigo, effective as of the date of decision. Service connection for asthma was denied.

The veteran's right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo and LOC are not considered to be the result of his surgeries at a VA medical facility in 1994. The Board finds that these conditions existed prior to the surgeries.

The VA denied the veteran's request for payment or reimbursement of private medical care due to lack of authorization, and because the condition was not an emergency requiring immediate attention.

The Board has determined that the veteran's vertigo is linked to an in-service automobile accident and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted an initial evaluation of 30 percent for vertigo, finding that the veteran's condition is more than occasional dizziness.

The Board has determined that the effective date for service connection of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is May 6, 1998.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and Meniere's disease, finding no evidence of a chronic disability related to military service.

The Board has determined that Meniere's disease was initially manifested during active service and is therefore incurred in service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and an examination. The VA will also review all claims, including implied claims for tinnitus and Meniere's Disease.

The Board has determined that the veteran's vertigo is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board finds that the veteran's service-connected Meniere's syndrome is essentially stable and does not warrant an increased evaluation. The veteran's two service-connected disabilities, bilateral hearing loss and Meniere's syndrome, do not render him housebound or in need of regular aid and attendance.

The veteran's claim for exclusion from countable income as medical expenses the purchase of an air conditioner and water tank in 1998 was denied because he failed to establish that these purchases were medically necessary for his disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and reopened the claim for residuals of head injury to include headaches.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional evidence and clarification of the veteran's claim regarding his Meniere's disease.

The veteran's service connection claims for hemorrhoids, irregular heart beat, residuals of a right leg injury, ringing in the ears, dizziness and vertigo, prostate disorder, low back disability, and depression have all been granted.