Vertigo & vestibular disorders Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus aggravates his non-service-connected vertigo. The claims file will be returned for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including traumatic brain injury, vertigo, shoulder disabilities, elbow and wrist disabilities, hand disabilities, hip disability, ankle disabilities, respiratory breathing problems, frontal sinusitis, and rhinitis are denied. The Board notes that the Veteran is presumed to have been exposed to fine particulate matter during his service in Southwest Asia during the Persian Gulf War.,Service connection for frontal sinusitis and rhinitis is granted based on presumptive exposure to fine particulate matter due to service in Southwest Asia.

The Veteran's TBI residuals of dizziness/vertigo and gait, coordination, and balance issues are rated at a 10 percent level due to mild interference with instrumental activities of daily living or work.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing impairment, including otosclerosis and BPPV with left ear hearing loss, is now rated at 100 percent effective March 14, 2024.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease, hypertension, vertigo, multiple lipomas, chronic fatigue syndrome, and erectile dysfunction due to outstanding private treatment records and inadequate VA medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including scheduling VA examinations to determine the cause and severity of the Veteran's vertigo, diabetes, and pseudophakia.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection of various disabilities, including left and right ankle disabilities, residuals of traumatic brain injury, vertigo, and cold exposure-related disabilities. The issues related to cervical spine, shoulder, wrist, low back, hip, knee, pes planus, hallux valgus, and headache were remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error, specifically failing to consider the Veteran's vertigo and dizziness complaints related to his right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his right vestibular unilateral weakness, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo and headaches as secondary to his service-connected tinnitus due to inadequate VA examinations.

The Veteran is granted a 60 percent disability rating for Meniere's disease, effective from the date of this decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and hypogonadism due to TBI have been remanded by the Board.,The AOJ will consider any new evidence submitted after the September 2022 SOC during the remand process.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection claims have been remanded due to the need for further examination or evidence in several cases. The left knee strain claim remains denied, as does all other individual conditions except for those related to service connection.

The Veteran's benign paroxysmal positional vertigo associated with obstructive sleep apnea is rated at 30 percent, effective from the date of the initial award of service connection on June 5, 2017. Other issues remain pending for further review.

The Board denied service connection for headaches, blurry vision, vertigo, low back disability, and left lower extremity radiculopathy as there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service or any exposure to hazardous chemicals.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of February 10, 2017, for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is granted. The TDIU was awarded due to his service-connected conditions preventing him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected left ear hearing loss with vestibular dysfunction is being remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including the need to associate VA treatment records and obtain private treatment records. A new examination is also required.

The Veteran's hearing acuity was found to be at Level I in both ears, resulting in a noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.,Service connection for vertigo as secondary to service-connected TBI is remanded due to the need for an opinion on causation and aggravation.

The Veteran's service-connected vertigo is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted due to lack of objective evidence or subjective reports of occasional staggering along with dizziness.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and vestibular disability due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which he contends are related to his military service or secondary to his service-connected migraines.