Traumatic brain injury (TBI) decisions — 2011

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and evidence for the appellant's claims of service connection for traumatic brain injury residuals and low back disability.

The Board has denied service connection for a left elbow strain, right ear hearing loss, and a left hand ganglion cyst. Service connection for traumatic brain injury was granted with current manifestations but the Veteran is not entitled to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and therefore, service connection for TBI is denied.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions have been denied. The Board found that new evidence was submitted to reopen some claims, but the preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for any condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there is no competent evidence of a current disability or continuity of symptomatology related to his in-service complaints. The Board finds that the Veteran does not have any diagnosed conditions, and thus cannot establish service connection.

The Board found no evidence of frostbite residuals in the Veteran's service records and concluded that his current upper and lower extremity disabilities are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical examinations and opinions regarding his claims for service connection, as well as a VA audiology examination. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, diverticulitis/diverticulosis, and traumatic brain injury.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including a TBI examination to determine if the Veteran has any current residual disabilities that are related to service. The revised criteria for rating TBI residuals will also be considered.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a TBI is granted as competent and probative evidence shows he sustained a TBI during his military service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for a skin disorder (claimed as jungle rot) and frostbite bilateral legs have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. However, the Board cannot determine whether these conditions are related to his military service based on the current evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran has residuals of in-service frostbite of the ears and right foot, but denied service connection for residuals of frostbite of the right lower extremity (other than the right foot), the left lower extremity and upper extremities due to lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to his in-service exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and residuals of a traumatic brain injury, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his in-service incidents.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's reported right foot frostbite injury during service is consistent with his combat experience, and he currently experiences symptoms related to this injury. The Board finds sufficient evidence to grant service connection for residuals of a right foot frostbite injury.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted service connection based on continuity of symptomatology since service. The other claims were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected frostbite of both feet and left below knee amputation did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from coronary artery disease.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's TBI, including headaches and memory loss, is related to his military service. The claim for service connection for TBI is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic TBI residuals and increased the Veteran's disability rating from 30 to 50 percent for his PTSD and cognitive disorder, effective July 13, 2011. The issues of entitlement to a TDIU have been remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of traumatic brain injury is granted, as there is evidence showing a current disability related to in-service head injuries.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of frostbite to the bilateral upper and lower extremities, as well as headaches. The Veteran's claims were not supported by medical evidence linking his current conditions to service.,Service connection was also denied for a psychiatric disability (PTSD) due to lack of verified in-service stressor.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for personality disorder, seizure disorder, and residuals of traumatic brain injury (formerly head injury). However, further development is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.