Traumatic brain injury (TBI) decisions — 2016

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and earlier effective date, finding no evidence of a current disability in most cases or no causal link to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for TBI was granted with an effective date of July 21, 2010. The Board found that the criteria for a liberalized benefit from October 23, 2008 to the date of claim in July 2010 were met.

The Veteran's headaches as a residual of TBI have been rated at 50 percent, the highest schedular rating available.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, UTIs, blackouts, residuals of frostbite of the feet, and umbilical hernia have been denied as there is no evidence to support a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for cold injury residuals, but the case has been remanded due to a lack of available service treatment records and the need for further examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is proximately due to his service-connected disabilities, specifically colon cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. As such, the claim for service connection for residuals of head trauma as secondary to service-connected disability is granted.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a facial injury. The claims for TBI and cervical spine disorder have also been denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied in a final November 2007 rating decision. The claim for tinnitus, PTSD, and TBI were all granted with increased ratings.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address his claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The VA will obtain SSA disability records and any relevant VA treatment records from the Loma Linda and Richmond VA healthcare systems.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have residuals of a current traumatic brain injury related to her in-service motor vehicle accident and denied her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address his claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The VA will obtain SSA disability records and any relevant VA treatment records from the Loma Linda and Richmond VA healthcare systems.

The Veteran is granted service connection for undifferentiated somatoform disorder with a rating of 70 percent, effective July 11, 2014. The Board also finds that the Veteran's headache disability and TBI are separately service-connected.

The Veteran claims service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to an in-service automobile accident. The Board has ordered additional development, including obtaining records from the 97th General Army Hospital and VA treatment records, as well as seeking an opinion regarding the nature and etiology of any current TBI residuals.

The Veteran's claims for traumatic brain injury residuals, brain cancer, and sleep disorder are denied as there is no evidence of a service-connected disability or objective indications of a qualifying chronic disability.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a diagnosed bilateral ankle disability, cervical spine disability, gastrointestinal (GI) disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), or frostbite of the toes during service or within one year of separation. Therefore, these claims are denied.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder (other than PTSD), a cervical spine disorder, and vertigo. The TBI claim was also denied.

The Board is remanding the Veteran's claims for a fractured mandible and TBI due to incomplete development of records, including military police reports and criminal investigation records. The Veteran's SSA records are also requested.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including TBI with vertigo, nausea and headaches, COPD, sleep apnea, cervical spine disability, thoracolumbar spine disability, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction (ED), and left hand disability are all denied as there is no competent evidence of current disabilities or a nexus to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for frostbite on both hands and feet, finding that there was no evidence of a cold injury or frostbite during his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathy, and residuals of a traumatic brain injury have been denied as there is no clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. The Veteran's neurologic disorder was primarily diagnosed as small vessel disease of the head, which does not meet the criteria for service connection.