Traumatic brain injury (TBI) decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of verification of federalized National Guard service on July 11, 1978. The Veteran is required to provide information about his providers and authorize VA to obtain any relevant private records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, TBI, seizure disorder, a sleep condition, tinnitus, and headaches. The appeals were not successful as new and material evidence was not received to reopen these claims.

The Veteran's adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood disability was granted a 10 percent rating from July 30, 2015 to February 16, 2016, and a 50 percent rating from February 17, 2016 to present.,The Veteran's traumatic brain injury (TBI) disability was granted a 10 percent rating from April 23, 2015 to April 29, 2016.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for traumatic brain injury and migraine headaches, as well as his TDIU claim due to service-connected disabilities. Further development is needed including new examinations, Social Security Administration records, and updated VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury, lumbar spine disorder, and inner lower lip scar due to inadequate VA examinations and missing service personnel records.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's Crohn's disease. The other issues remain denied.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for headaches and traumatic brain injury have been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection has been dismissed as the RO issued a Statement of the Case continuing the current evaluations and denying the claims.,The Veteran did not file a substantive appeal, thus the Board lacks jurisdiction to review these issues.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to a lack of VA examinations and records. The Veteran's Reserve service is noted, but no specific exposure basis or service connection theory is provided.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his service-connected traumatic brain injury. The Veteran needs a VA examination to determine this relationship.

Service connection is granted for Traumatic Brain Injury, Headache disorder (secondary to TBI), and Bilateral hearing loss. Service connection is denied for Left foot disorder, Loss of smell, and Loss of taste.

The Veteran's PTSD with anxiety and depression is granted as it was incurred in service.,Tinnitus is denied because it manifested more than one year after separation from service and is not shown to be causally related to an in-service event, injury or disease.

The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's TBI, finding that her symptoms did not warrant a higher rating. The decision also noted that Meniere's syndrome is separate from her TBI and referred this issue to the AOJ.

The appeal of the denial of TBI service connection is dismissed due to lack of an adequate substantive appeal. The claim for secondary service connection for OSA, thyroid nodules, and skin cancer is partially granted.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple disabilities, including head injuries and knee issues. The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly assess the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD with TBI was granted a combined rating of 40 percent prior to October 6, 2015. From October 6, 2015 to July 02, 2019, the Veteran's PTSD and TBI were separately rated at 70 percent and 10 percent respectively. The Board found that the symptoms of both conditions overlapped and could not be clearly separated for rating purposes.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

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

The Veteran is granted a staged disability rating of 50 percent for unspecified trauma- and stressor-related disorder with TBI from February 14, 2011 through December 2, 2013.