Vertigo & vestibular disorders Board decisions

The Board remands the claims for service connection for Meniere's disease and right ear hearing loss due to missing medical records and the need for additional development.

The appeal seeking readjudication of the previously denied claims for service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy and vertigo, as well as the requests for readjudication of the previously denied claims for a left shoulder disability, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), erectile dysfunction (ED), bilateral hearing loss, prostate cancer, bilateral eye pseudophakia, sinus disability, emphysema with left lung nodule, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), skin disability, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are dismissed. The request for readjudication of the previously denied claim for service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy is granted in part as it was fully resolved by a June 2025 rating decision.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected peripheral vestibular disorder from December 13, 2020, to September 25, 2023, an earlier effective date of December 13, 2020, for the establishment of Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits, and special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate from April 13, 2023, to September 25, 2023.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, currently diagnosed as persistent depressive disorder, but denied service connection for residuals of head injury other than vertigo and headaches, to include traumatic brain injury (TBI), and for vertigo. The left wrist disability claim was remanded.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of April 13, 2022 for the awards of service connection for PTSD, headaches, and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for Meniere's syndrome manifested by vertigo and dismissed the appeal for a higher initial rating.

The Board granted service connection for vertigo, migraine, and tinnitus but denied it for an eye disability, left knee arthritis, nerve damage post removal of wisdom tooth, right arm arthritis, and right knee arthritis.

The Board granted service connection for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and remanded the claim for a compensable rating for hearing loss.

The Board granted service connection for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted a rating of 70 percent for the period prior to May 19, 2022, and denied an increased rating beyond 100 percent for the period beginning on May 19, 2022. A 30 percent initial rating was also granted for vertigo with Meniere's disease without hearing impairment.

The Board granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and TDIU, and assigned an initial evaluation of 30 percent for coronary artery disease prior to November 26, 2014. Other claims were denied or dismissed.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for Meniere's syndrome, to include as secondary to service-connected bilateral hearing loss, due to an inadequate VA medical opinion and the need for a TERA examination.

The Board denied an increased rating for generalized anxiety disorder and vertigo, granted a TDIU, and remanded evaluations for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease L4-L5 with intervertebral disc syndrome, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board granted a separate compensable evaluation of 30 percent for the Veteran's peripheral vestibular disorder as a residual of TBI.

The Board denied service connection for asthma, hypertension, and vertigo. The claims for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy were also denied as not secondary to a service-connected disability. Some claims for various musculoskeletal conditions of the cervical spine, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, feet, and fibromyalgia are remanded for further development.

The Board granted an initial rating of 30 percent for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

The Board denied service connection for right hand numbness, optic neuritis, skin cancer, and bilateral feet numbness but granted service connection for vertigo.

The Board denied service connection for sinusitis, rhinitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and vertigo as the evidence of record did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for left ear hearing loss and service connection for right elbow condition, but remanded the claim for secondary service connection for vertigo.

The Board denied service connection for vertigo, finding that the probative evidence did not support a nexus between the Veteran's current diagnosis and his in-service symptoms or noise exposure.