Secondary service connection
Peripheral vestibular disorders secondary to tinnitus: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided peripheral vestibular disorders claimed as secondary to tinnitus in 604 decisions. It granted the issue in 12.3% of them, below the 19.2% grant rate for all peripheral vestibular disorders issues, denied it in 18.7%, and remanded it in 68.7%. Counting only decisions on the merits, 39.6% were granted.
Decisions
604
2017–2026
Granted
12.3%
All peripheral vestibular disorders: 19.2%
Granted on the merits
39.6%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
68.7%
Denied: 18.7%
See all peripheral vestibular disorders decisions, direct and secondary.
Peripheral vestibular disorders secondary to tinnitus: outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 34 | 11.8% | 23.5% | 58.8% |
| 2018 | 47 | 4.3% | 29.8% | 66.0% |
| 2019 | 51 | 9.8% | 9.8% | 80.4% |
| 2020 | 53 | 15.1% | 24.5% | 60.4% |
| 2021 | 73 | 11.0% | 20.5% | 68.5% |
| 2022 | 65 | 6.2% | 30.8% | 63.1% |
| 2023 | 70 | 5.7% | 11.4% | 82.9% |
| 2024 | 84 | 15.5% | 15.5% | 69.0% |
| 2025 | 81 | 18.5% | 13.6% | 67.9% |
| 2026 | 46 | 23.9% | 13.0% | 63.0% |
Evidence in granted and denied peripheral vestibular disorders decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the peripheral vestibular disorders issue on the merits when the decision mentioned it, compared with decisions that did not. These are associations, not causes, and evidence is recorded per decision, not per issue.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive nexus opinion | 110 | 84.4% | 16.3% | +68.1 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 60 | 70.0% | 33.8% | +36.2 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 183 | 59.0% | 25.7% | +33.3 pts |
| Lay statement | 458 | 34.4% | 63.6% | −29.2 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 75.7% of the decisions that granted peripheral vestibular disorders.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 21.6% of grants and 8.0% of denials.
Negative evidence in the record
An unfavorable exam or a negative nexus opinion often sits in the same record as favorable evidence, and the Board weighs them against each other. So these rows show how often peripheral vestibular disorders was still granted when the record contained the negative item, not that the item helped.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unfavorable VA exam | 490 | 38.0% | 50.0% | −12.0 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 416 | 35.4% | 53.5% | −18.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied peripheral vestibular disorders
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established14
- Caused by the service-connected disability12
- Service connection established8
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability6
- Service records negative or silent2
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service29
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis14
- No current diagnosis14
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim11
- Service records negative or silent8
- Current diagnosis established5
- No continuity of symptomatology2
- Claimed secondary to hearing loss and tinnitus1
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent peripheral vestibular disorders decisions
Granted
Private medical opinion found BPPV more likely than not secondary to and aggravated by service-connected tinnitus and hearing loss.; VA opinion found BPPV less likely than not proximately due to service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus, deemed inadequate due to unlawful "proximate cause" standard.; Evidence in approximate balance; doubt resolved in Veteran's favor.
Current diagnosis of vertigo; Secondary to service-connected tinnitus/bilateral hearing loss; Persuasive private medical opinion with thorough rationale
Vertigo is a symptom of Meniere's syndrome, for which service connection is granted.; Evidence in approximate balance regarding service connection.; Favorable VA and private opinions supported a link to service.
Denied
VA examiner opined vertigo less likely than not due to tinnitus/service/toxic exposure; Veteran's claims of dizziness/imbalance since service not chronologically established; Lay statements contradicted by medical records and insufficient for nexus
No in-service complaints or treatment for vertigo.; Decades-long gap between service and first post-service diagnosis.; Unfavorable VA opinions stating BPPV is less likely than not related to service or aggravated by tinnitus/hearing loss.; BPPV is a mechanical condition distinct from auditory pathologies.; Late-onset BPPV is more consistent with idiopathic onset than service connection.
No nexus between vertigo and service-connected tinnitus/BHL; VA examiner opined vertigo less likely than not caused by tinnitus; Tinnitus and vertigo are separate conditions, though may be comorbid
Rules that apply to secondary peripheral vestibular disorders claims
- 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - M21-1 V.ii.2.D
Secondary service connection and aggravation of non-service-connected disabilities
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your peripheral vestibular disorders case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Counts decisions in which the Board decided a peripheral vestibular disorders issue claimed as secondary to tinnitus, by the outcome of that issue.
- The primary disability is read from the decision text ("secondary to …") and grouped by name, so spellings such as "PTSD" and "posttraumatic stress disorder" count together.
- Secondary claims also include aggravation of a non-service-connected condition by a service-connected one (38 CFR 3.310(b)).
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.