Traumatic brain injury (TBI) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's TBI is related to his active-duty service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of May 12, 2021 for a 70 percent rating for service-connected TBI with residuals.,The Board dismissed the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to December 21, 2020 for the grant of service connection for TBI with residuals as it was not timely appealed.

The Veteran's service connection claims for obstructive sleep apnea, residuals of a head injury (including traumatic brain injury), and acquired psychiatric disorder (including mood disorder and depression) are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.,For the claim regarding residuals of a head injury, including residuals of a traumatic brain injury, a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran has any current residuals related to in-service boxing and motor vehicle accident injuries.

The Veteran's employment prior to July 15, 2018 was not considered substantially gainful due to his service-connected disabilities. The Board denied the TDIU claim as there were no circumstances apart from advancing age that would justify a total rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's PTSD with TBI residuals most nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. The VA awarded an increased rating of 70 percent for the Veteran's PTSD with TBI.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding a diagnosed Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and its relationship to service, specifically boxing activities during active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and headaches, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active duty service.

The Veteran's TBI symptoms are sufficiently distinct from his unspecified anxiety disorder, and he is granted a separate disability rating of 10 percent for the period from September 27, 2019 to September 25, 2020.

The Veteran's TBI was manifested by re-experiencing a traumatic incident in service, memory loss, distractibility, impaired judgement, impulsive/unpredictable behavior, and moodiness. The manifestations of the Veteran's TBI during the period on appeal cannot be clearly separated from his comorbid service-connected PTSD and depressive disorder.

The Veteran's appeals for ratings related to migraine headaches and traumatic brain injury residuals have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is competent to handle the disbursement of VA funds and has restored her competency.

The Board has granted service connection for a headache disability and an initial rating of 10 percent for TBI residuals. The headaches are considered directly related to the Veteran's in-service head injury, while the TBI residuals warrant a 10 percent rating.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) due to a lack of current diagnosis, and instead found that she has a confirmed diagnosis of Limbic Encephalitis. The decision is binding only with respect to this specific matter.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of posttraumatic stress disorder, persistent depressive disorder, traumatic brain injury, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and migraine headaches were granted effective July 30, 2015. The claim for service connection of bronchitis was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. Claims for cervical strain and rheumatoid arthritis are remanded due to duty to assist errors.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to duty-to-assist errors and incomplete evidence.

The Board denied service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to the lack of current disability and insufficient evidence linking the condition to service.,Service connection was granted for left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, with the Board finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during active service.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran is also granted special monthly compensation due to the need for higher level aid and attendance related to his traumatic brain injury.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected disabilities, including post-concussive headaches, unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder with situational phobias, and TBI. The VA examiner must provide an addendum opinion addressing these issues.

The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding whether new and relevant evidence has been submitted for entitlement to service connection for various disabilities, including left ankle, right ankle, left knee, right knee, back, neck, obstructive sleep apnea, and traumatic brain injury (TBI)/concussion. The decision does not affect the Veteran's HLR.