Superior Canal Dehiscence

[Kuwaitin08]

Situation- I have been suffering from serious ringing in my ears for roughly the last decade or so along with very sensitive hearing. Among those symptoms, I have a slew of other issues that are currently unimportant to this post but some of my other issues were vertigo and occasional memory loss. After countless trips to the doctors, audiologists and ENT's I was finally diagnosed with tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Claims for disability were filed and after a few battles, I was awarded 10% with hyperacusis and tinnitus combined but I was denied for the vertigo and memory loss.

After a few more years of testing for balance issues and dizziness, Cat Scans and MRI's I now have a diagnoses of superior canal dehiscence. It is a pretty rare condition that is a royal pain in the butt to diagnose but here I am. 

Does anyone know how this is rated? I've read some articles that says it rates similar to Meniere's Disease and Tullio's Syndrome and yet read others that say it rates as simple hearing loss. Luckily I am able to show the onset of symptoms started during my last deployment with medical records so I don't believe it should be an issue to service connect it.

I'm currently in the process of putting together a fully developed claim to submit. I'll be adding all paperwork from all previous submissions for tinnitus, vertigo, hyperacusis and more to hopefully get it squared away. Lord willing it will be a large check coming from a few years of back payments.

Any assistance you could provide would be appreciated.

 

[Kuwaitin08]

30 minutes ago, Buck52 said:

This is a rare diseases   it will have be repaired with surgery, It is unknown why this happens  and normally hereditary

so it maybe hard to prove service connection  unless a Dr will give his medical opinion it is  caused by ot related to your hearing loss

for a secondary condition...if this is ratable  It maybe a High rating  I would think  until you get it surgically repaired.

I read a little about this , it is rare and usually a person can hear sounds a normal person can't...also its normal for people that have this can hear there eyes close  or hear your eyeball move  and hear the inside of the body sounds  ect,,ect,,  I guess with the canal being seperated  it reverses the hearing into your body?

This one is going to be hard to figure out a rating  and he maybe Temporary.  it maybe like a temporary rating when veterans  that have TKR 

(Total Knee Replacement ) if they have a service connection for it   they can get a 100% temp rating until the knees are ok  normally for 1 year after the Surgery

So Sorry you have to go through this.

Good Luck on finding out the rating criteria   ..I can only imagine most of us will  try to find it  to help you better.

Hang In There

Thanks for the info. My SCD is in my left ear only and the VA isn’t recommending surgery. 
 

As for having this be SC, I found it could be caused by loud noises, explosions and head trauma. 
 

I’m hoping logic and reason will rule the day and they’ll see that the timeline for the symptoms are spot on as they started soon after a service injury and have become progressively worse with time.

 

Fingers crossed.

 

[Buck52]

Yes Noise Induced Loud sudden Noise , you will need to prove you were around loud noise , if your a combat veteran  they concede that as your stressor and also medically induced from the loud noise you were around  while in the military , usually its bilituraly  but one ear can also be affected.

I am not 100% sure?  but the surgery is only recommended if the canal is totally separated, that would be the only way to fix this.

so if your canal is not separated  thats a good thing for you.

However you This typically gets worse with activity or straining, such as coughing or blowing the nose. Also, exercises can make the dizziness worse. Sound, or noise, can also make patients dizzy. 2) Hearing loss: typically the hearing loss that is associated with superior canal dehiscence is a conductive hearing loss.

you possibly will need to file a secondary claim for this  due to or related and caused by your hearing loss  if your rated for hearing loss  I think this will fly  but they may just rate you for hearin gloss  when you should be able to file a secondary claim for the SCD.

YOU WOULD NEED A Qualified Dr to give his medical opinion that the SCD is likely as not related to your Hearing loss.

or something similar more in  medical jargon. 

[Buck52]

HERE IS A  BVA CASE THAT WAS REMANDED, IT WILL SHOW WHAT ALL THEY CHECK AND IT MAY HELP YOU/

https://www.va.gov/vetapp14/Files5/1438658.txt

 

[lodidoddi]

I have the same thing! Did you ever get it service connected? 

[lodidoddi]

I have the same thing! Did you ever get it service connected? 

[broncovet]

Welcome to hadit, lodidoddi.   This is a 2021 post, and I can not say.  

However, my advice is two fold:

1.  Start a new post, and you will get more and better answers.  

2.  Since you are new, I will address your concern this time.  Next time, please start a new post with your question.  

   Vertigo, as well as other conditions should be service connected with the Caluza elements.  To find out if you have those documented, check your medical and service records for the following (Caluza elements...required for service connection, with some exceptions such as presumptives):

1.  Current diagnosis.  

2.  In service event(s) you allege caused your conditions.  

3.  Nexus, or medical professionals opinion (such as an audiologist) that your (vertigo) is at least as likely as not due to an event in service such as loud noises, gunfire, trauma, etc. etc.