Traumatic brain injury (TBI) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and consideration of his claims, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for a DRO hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to service and granted service connection. The issues of service connection for TBI, increased ratings for shell fragment wounds of the left shoulder and upper back with retained foreign body, left shoulder scar, mid-back inferior lateral scar, and posterior lateral left lower back scars are remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and traumatic brain injury due to the Veteran's dishonorable discharge, and found that he did not have current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Traumatic Brain Injury was reopened and granted effective September 4, 2012. The Board denied an earlier effective date as the law mandates that the effective date shall be the date of application or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI and migraine headaches, secondary to TBI are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran asserts he experienced a TBI during deployment in Iraq, but the VA examiners did not consider his STRs or post-service treatment records.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and TBI as additional evidence is needed, including updated VA treatment records and new examinations.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for residuals of a traumatic brain injury and major depressive disorder. The rating for right elbow bursitis remains denied. Service connection is denied for left hip disability, right hip disability, and lumbosacral strain.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee bursitis, right knee bursitis, lumbosacral strain, tinnitus, and left ear hearing loss. Service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's TBI residuals are etiologically related to his in-service injury, and thus service connection is granted.

The Veteran's service connection claims for residuals of frostbite of the left foot, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, and headaches are granted. The claim for a back disability is remanded.

The claims of service connection for thoracic scoliosis and a low back disability have been denied as new and material evidence has not been received.,The claims of service connection for a heart disability and hypertension (claimed as high blood pressure) have been reopened, but the merits of these claims remain denied.

The Veteran's cause of death was not due to a service-connected disability.,Service connection for the cause of death is denied as there is no medical evidence linking the Veteran’s primary and contributory causes of death (acute renal failure, congestive heart failure, bladder cancer, and renal cancer) to his military service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, increased ratings for thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease and migraine headaches, and an increased rating for PTSD and TBI with dizziness are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence since the last statement of the case.

The Veteran's PTSD is now rated at 70 percent effective May 14, 2012. The rating for TBI remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for several conditions and issues, including increased ratings for TBI and migraine headaches, service connection for sleep apnea, PTSD, a left knee condition, hearing loss, cataracts, diabetes (secondary to service-connected disability), an increased rating for other specified depressive disorder, and entitlement to individual unemployability prior to February 8, 2012. The appeals are dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected traumatic brain injury does not result in any disabling residuals, and his complaints are attributed to nonservice-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine, right knee, left knee, Gulf War illness, and traumatic brain injury with migraine headaches due to new evidence received since previous decisions.

The Board denied service connection for asthma and head injury (TBI) as there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Board has denied service connection for frostbite, bilateral feet and an acquired psychiatric disorder (parasomnia). The throat condition is remanded for further development.