Traumatic brain injury (TBI) Board decisions

The Veteran's left optic nerve atrophy with limited vision is rated as 30 percent disabling. For the period prior to October 24, 2006, his TBI was rated as 10 percent disabling. Since October 24, 2006, a higher rating for TBI has not been granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions. The issues include TBI, cervical spine disability, right wrist disability, and prostatitis.

The Veteran's service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI) residuals are being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for TBI as there is no evidence of a current disability and the VA examiner found no indication of a head injury or neurological disorder in the Veteran's records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a traumatic brain injury and chronic bilateral knee disorder due to new evidence and further examination. The issues of increased rating for lumbar spine disability and TDIU are also being remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of traumatic brain injury as there is no competent evidence showing current residuals from a TBI sustained during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and the Board has remanded several of his issues related to hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, bipolar disorder, headaches, sleep disability, and TBI.

The Veteran's claims for left arm injury, residuals of right hand fracture, degenerative arthritis of the left hand, TBI, type II diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), bilateral eye disability and cataracts, hypertension, left foot disability, right foot disability, obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and acquired psychiatric disability have all been denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for these conditions are not supported by the evidence of record.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation since February 22, 2016.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a neck condition, right shoulder condition and hearing loss (recharacterized as mild neurocognitive disorder due to TBI) are granted.

The Veteran's TBI disability is rated at 40 percent, effective April 8, 2019. The Board denied increased ratings for his TBI and service connection claims for right elbow, wrist, knee, and left knee conditions.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including a new VA examination to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed TBI with an acquired psychiatric disorder. The claims for higher initial ratings for right ankle instability, bilateral knee DJD, lumbar spine disability, associated right lower extremity radiculopathy, and for an earlier effective date for right lower extremity radiculopathy are also remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of frostbite of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, finding that there is no current diagnosis or evidence of such disabilities during or recent to the period of appeal.

The Board has granted the reopening of the Veteran's claims for service connection for intervertebral disc syndrome L5-S1 and concussion (now claimed as traumatic brain injury, TBI). The issues have been remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records from his National Guard service. The claims will be reviewed with these additional records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a head injury, including TBI and headaches is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) due to her withdrawal of those claims during a July 2019 hearing. The remaining issues have been remanded.

The appeal for burn injury residuals of the right and left hands is dismissed. The claims for service connection for knee, ankle, and low back disorders are reopened and remanded due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for TBI, bilateral hearing loss, headaches, epilepsy, obstructive sleep disorder, acquired psychiatric disorders (including PTSD), hepatitis C, and hypertension. The claims were remanded for further development.

The Veteran's TBI and migraine headaches are remanded for further examination. The cervical spine and low back disabilities are also remanded, as the VA examinations relied on insufficient reasoning.