Traumatic brain injury (TBI) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's TBI residuals are not adequately addressed in the current evaluation, and further examination is needed to determine their severity.

The Veteran's appeal is REMANDED for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling appropriate examinations to address the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.,The Veteran has multiple issues on appeal that require further examination and review.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea but has remanded the issue of service connection for traumatic brain injury due to insufficient evidence.

The Board is remanding the case to review whether a reduction in the rating for service-connected traumatic brain injury from 40 percent disabling to noncompensable, effective February 1, 2013, was proper.

The Veteran was granted a higher initial disability rating for PTSD, but denied an increased rating for TBI.,The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent effective April 28, 2014.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and depressive disorder, rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to August 28, 2015.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have produced total occupational impairment, and the Board has granted TDIU based on his service-connected conditions.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for residuals of frostbite and bilateral hearing loss, but denied these claims as there is no current diagnosis of frostbite residuals or a link to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations, missing documents, and potential new evidence.

The claims for service connection of left shoulder, low back, and left knee disabilities have been denied.,Service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI) has also been denied.,An effective date earlier than April 28, 2015 for the grant of service connection for depression is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for TBI was denied, but his claim for a higher rating for migraine headaches was granted and assigned a 30% disability rating.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on various conditions have been dismissed. The Board has also remanded several issues including service connection claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypercholesterolemia has been denied as it does not constitute a disability for VA benefits purposes.,New and material evidence having been received, the claims for hypertension and alcoholism have both been reopened. Service connection is granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD (depression and/or mood disorder), migraine headaches, and sleep apnea on secondary basis to service-connected conditions.,The Veteran's joint pain, coronary artery disease, diabetes, eye disorder, glaucoma, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, respiratory disorder (asthma), liver disorder, kidney disorder, erectile dysfunction, residuals of TBI, restless leg syndrome, GERD, and other issues have been remanded for further review.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle, traumatic brain injury residuals, left knee, and right knee disabilities are denied. The claim for service connection for a back disability is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, traumatic brain injury residuals, and bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as there was no evidence of current disabilities or a link to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, right ankle, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and residuals of testicular cancer. The Veteran did not have a current diagnosis or history of these conditions during his appeal period.,Additionally, the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for status post right radical orchiectomy associated with residuals of testicular cancer was denied.

The Veteran's TBI with tension headaches is rated at a noncompensable level since October 22, 2014. The Board has granted an initial 10 percent rating for the period on appeal.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disability, vertigo, TBI, and migraine and tension headaches as there is no evidence that these conditions began during or are otherwise related to his military service.

The Veteran's TBI claim is remanded due to the need for a more contemporaneous examination to assess his current symptoms and severity.