Vertigo & vestibular disorders decisions — 2020

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and Meniere's syndrome for further development. The claims will be reviewed again with new evidence, specifically focusing on noise exposure during service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of information regarding the necessity for a Master's Degree and vocational rehabilitation evaluations. The Veteran must provide any necessary documentation, and the AOJ should arrange for functional capacity evaluations and determine if the Veteran can achieve employment as a licensed social worker.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for vertigo, finding that it is not related to his service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is at least as likely as not attributable to service, and therefore grants service connection for BPPV.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's left shoulder disability and benign positional vertigo. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for vertigo and Meniere's syndrome as secondary to service-connected bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete information from private treatment records.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed conditions. The AOJ is instructed to obtain new medical opinions addressing these issues.

The Board denied service connection for left and right lower extremity neuropathy, as well as vertigo, all of which are presumed to be due to herbicide agent exposure during service. The Veteran's symptoms were not chronic in service or within one year after separation, nor did they manifest early onset peripheral neuropathy.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral ankle disability and vertigo, finding that the disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service.,The Court remanded the case due to conflicting opinions on whether the Veteran's current conditions are related to his active duty service.

The appeal for an increased rating for tinnitus is dismissed. The October 2014 Notice of Disagreement was timely regarding the November 2013 and February 2014 rating decisions, but the June 2018 NOD was not valid as it raised issues that had never been adjudicated before.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his ear conditions. A new VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's vertigo is related to his service-connected tinnitus and has been aggravated by it. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's vertigo is secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, but the August 2019 VA opinion is inadequate. The remand requires an addendum opinion addressing whether the vertigo is proximately due to or aggravated by the service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches and vertigo, dizziness and loss of balance are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The VA needs to provide an adequate opinion regarding whether the Veteran’s conditions are secondary to his service-connected tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, vertigo, and stroke due to deficiencies in prior development and need for additional examination opinions.