Traumatic brain injury (TBI) decisions — 2013

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury due to lack of evidence supporting his claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the failure to appear for a scheduled Travel Board hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after scheduling a new hearing.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including scheduling a video conference hearing.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service noise exposure. However, there is no evidence of frostbite or its residuals during service.,Regarding the claim for residuals of frostbite of the right great toe, the Veteran did not have a diagnosed condition at any point during service and there is insufficient medical evidence to establish that he currently has this disability.

The Veteran's bilateral blindness is being remanded for clarification of the relationship between his service-connected generalized anxiety with dementia and his current vision impairment.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and migraine headaches have been denied. The TBI claim is denied as the criteria are not met for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to January 19, 2011 or a rating in excess of 40 percent from that date. The migraine headache claim is also denied as the criteria are not met for a rating in excess of 30 percent.

The Veteran's service connection claim for the residuals of a traumatic brain injury is granted as her current disability has been medically linked to an in-service injury.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a right knee disorder, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, low back disorder, kidney disorder, and TBI with headaches, have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support establishing service connection for these conditions.,reasoning_on_deciding_factor_1_sentence_only

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral foot disability, including symptoms of pain, numbness, cold sensitivity, locally impaired sensation, tingling, and burning, is related to his in-service exposure to cold weather while stationed near the DMZ in Korea. The Board finds that service connection for residuals of frostbite injuries to both feet is granted.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for traumatic brain injury residuals is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for head injury residuals, including scar residuals, headaches, and TBI residuals is granted.

The Veteran's service records do not show any diagnosis of sleep apnea, vertigo, chronic fatigue syndrome, pes planus, bilateral leg varicose veins, or residuals of traumatic brain injury. The Veteran has been diagnosed with insomnia and hemorrhoids since separation from service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the Atlanta RO for scheduling a Board hearing. The initial compensable rating claim for headaches remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute to his death from multi-lobular pneumonia due to MRSA, COPD and Raynaud's Syndrome. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's non-service connected condition of COPD was the primary cause of his death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic cervicogenic headaches and residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The VA examiner found no objective signs of a TBI on an MRI, and there was insufficient evidence to support any residuals from the in-service fall.,There is no credible evidence linking the Veteran's current conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut the presumption of soundness at entry into service, and therefore, the Veteran's TBI residuals are presumed to have existed prior to service. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss did not occur during or as a result of his military service.

The Veteran's PTSD has resulted in total social and occupational impairment since January 30, 2007. The Board grants a 100 percent rating for PTSD effective from January 9, 2009.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records. The TDIU claim is also being remanded due to its interdependence with the service connection issue.

The Veteran's cause of death, acute myocardial infarction, is not service-connected. The Board finds no evidence linking the myocardial infarction to any service-connected condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms of memory loss, headaches, and sleep disorder are not related to his service in the Southwest Asia Theater of operations or an in-service TBI. Therefore, he is denied service connection for these conditions.