Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss, vertigo, and sleep apnea has been granted. Service connection is granted for hearing loss but denied for heart disorder/disease and vertigo and sleep apnea.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Meniere's disease is remanded due to the intertwined nature of his pending legacy claim for a compensable rating for residuals of barotrauma of the ear.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for respiratory and central neurological disabilities were denied as there was no evidence to support a link between his current conditions and military service, including presumed exposure to herbicides.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and vertigo, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure or a link to service.

The Veteran's peripheral vestibular disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are rated at 100% effective May 31, 2011. An initial rating of 70% for a mood disorder is granted. A separate 20% rating for left knee semilunar cartilage condition is granted under Diagnostic Code 5258. Effective July 20, 2011, the Veteran's hearing impairment is rated at 30%. The appeal as to an effective date prior to July 20, 2011 for a 30% rating for bilateral hearing loss is moot.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased evaluations of his TBI, spine disorder, right hip strain (limitation of extension), and right hip strain (impairment of the thigh) are denied.,The Veteran's claim for restoration of separate service connection award for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for motion sickness (vertigo) as there was no clear and unmistakable evidence of a pre-existing condition that worsened during or after military service, and the evidence did not support aggravation by his service-connected hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board has considered all submitted evidence, but new and relevant evidence was not received for most of the issues.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for peripheral vestibular disorder and TDIU prior to June 18, 2018. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated with a new examination addressing causation and aggravation of his claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the claim for chronic left ear infections with ear pressure, to include a vestibular disability due to inconsistencies in opinions and need for additional examination.

The Board has remanded the case for additional medical opinions regarding service connection for Meniere's disease (claimed as vertigo). The right ear hearing loss disability claim is denied.

The Board denied service connection for Meniere's disease and granted a 30 percent disability rating for perilymphatic fistula, but remanded the issue of TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for vertigo, finding no evidence of a link between his current condition and his military service or his service-connected PTSD and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss and neurological condition was reopened. The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the hearing loss claim, but denied service connection for a neurological condition and remanded both hearing loss and Meniere's syndrome claims.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and evaluations to determine the current severity of her service-connected disabilities, including allergic rhinitis, bilateral lower extremity sciatica, toxic encephalopathy, cognitive disability with toxin-induced sleep disorder and dyssomnia, immune system injury, and loss of tolerance to chemicals. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also remanded.