Traumatic brain injury (TBI) decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, a gallbladder condition, a respiratory condition (chronic bronchitis), frostbite residuals of the lower and upper extremities, left hand disability, right hand disability, and bilateral hearing loss are all denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, a gallbladder condition, a respiratory condition (chronic bronchitis), frostbite residuals of the lower and upper extremities, left hand disability, right hand disability, and bilateral hearing loss are all remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for tinnitus and traumatic brain injury (TBI) were remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for various disabilities, including lumbar spine strain with degenerative joint disease, left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and knee, foot, and hand disabilities, require additional evidence due to outstanding VA medical records. The appeal is remanded to obtain these records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and assessments.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of TBI and occipital headaches for further evaluation due to lack of response to VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date prior to November 2, 2015 for the grant of service connection for a TBI has been withdrawn. The cases related to rating and disability evaluation for residuals of TBI are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has resulted in a TDIU for the entire period on appeal, and he is also entitled to SMC at the statutory housebound rate due to his combined disability rating of 60 percent or more.

The Board has ordered a remand for the Veteran to be examined regarding his TBI residuals due to an unavailability issue. The claim will be reconsidered based on the examination results.

The Veteran's PTSD, posttraumatic headaches, chronic cervical strain, and chronic lumbar strain with early degenerative disc disease were granted service connection effective July 20, 2010. The TBI was granted as part of the PTSD award on November 16, 2010, and a separate rating of 10% for TBI was awarded effective May 16, 2017.,An earlier effective date claim for all conditions except TBI is denied due to finality.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as there was no evidence of an in-service occurrence or causation.

The Veteran's migraines are rated at 50 percent from February 1, 2019. The TBI residuals are not rated higher than 10 percent. The Veteran is granted total disability based on individual unemployability.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional development, including obtaining updated private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's PTSD and TBI residuals are being reviewed again due to new evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to assess the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and their impact on his ability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to issues with scheduling a VA examination for the Veteran's TBI. The Veteran needs to provide updated contact information and outstanding records need to be obtained.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for TBI, PTSD, and low back disability due to outstanding treatment records that need to be obtained. The Veteran is also scheduled for a VA examination to assess his current severity of low back disability.

The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates and initial ratings were dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew her appeals, and service connection was granted for tinnitus.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to a failure to make reasonable efforts to obtain VA treatment records or relevant federal or private treatment records, and provided an inadequate VA examination or opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as there was no evidence of a head injury during service and his service treatment records did not show any signs of treatment or diagnosis. The Veteran has not submitted new and material evidence to reopen this claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for schizophrenia disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than schizophrenia (including PTSD), and traumatic brain injury. The low back disability claim was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection are not clear enough and needs more information. They need to get his Social Security Administration records, which may help them understand why he received disability benefits.