The veteran is entitled to a higher 30 percent rating for his imbalance and dizziness, but no greater. He is not entitled to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows the veteran experiences recurrent vertigo (imbalance and dizziness) with resulting stumbling and staggering, which supports a higher 30 percent rating under DC 6204. However, there is no evidence of Meniere's syndrome or other conditions that would warrant an even higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- imbalance and dizziness, left tympanoplasty and perforated eardrum with otitis media, tinnitus, conductive hearing loss in the left ear, post-operative scar as a residual of a left wrist ganglioectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- March 26, 2008
- Citation
- 0810042
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0810042.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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