Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2000

The Board found no medical evidence linking the appellant's current hearing loss, tinnitus, Meniere's disease, or right knee disability to his military service. The claim for a back disability was reopened due to new and material evidence but the claim remains denied as there is insufficient evidence of in-service injury.

The Board found that the veteran's Meniere's disease, including vertigo and tinnitus, is not related to service-connected disability. The tinnitus was determined to be related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's disability manifested by vertigo and impaired balance is rated at 30 percent, effective from the date of his July 1998 grant of service connection. The right ear hearing loss remains noncompensably disabling.

The Board granted an effective date of August 20, 1990 for a 100 percent disability evaluation for Meniere's disease. The claim for SMC based on need for aid and attendance was also granted. However, the issue regarding an earlier effective date for SMC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1114(s) remains unresolved.

The veteran's claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA examination reports and correspondence from employers.

The Board denied service connection for Meniere's disease, finding that the veteran did not have a current disability and there was no evidence of its onset during service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo due to a concussion sustained in service are partially granted. The claim of CUE regarding the October 1970 rating decision is pending.

The Board found no competent evidence linking the veteran's current vertigo to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left ear tinnitus, vertigo, and fractures of the lumbar spine. The claims were found not well-grounded as there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo are not well-grounded. The claim for increased rating for chronic bilateral otitis externa is denied as there is no evidence showing current disability.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo are not well grounded. The evidence does not support a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active duty service, while Meniere's disease is not shown to be service-connected. The veteran's current conditions have been granted as well.

The Board has determined that the veteran's sleep apnea was incurred during active duty service and granted service connection. The claim of entitlement to service connection for vertigo is denied as there is no current evidence of true vertigo.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, as secondary to his service-connected left ear disabilities, is not well-grounded and denied the claim.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for nerve deafness, tinnitus, and vertigo are not well grounded due to a lack of competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his period of active duty.