Traumatic brain injury (TBI) Board decisions

The Veteran's migraine headaches are granted a 50% evaluation for the entire appeal period. The Veteran’s chondromalacia of the right knee and residuals of TBI are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but denied service connection for hearing loss, and has remanded several other issues including those related to the neck, back, head injury (TBI), and acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for major depressive disorder with psychotic features and mood disorder due to TBI was denied. The Board found that the severity, frequency, and duration of his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's migraines, depression and anxiety, and traumatic brain injury are all rated at the maximum available under their respective disability codes. The Veteran is granted a TDIU based on her service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an extension to file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) regarding his July 2014 and November 2014 rating decisions, finding that he did not provide good cause for filing late. The ratings assigned for radiculopathy in both lower extremities and TBI were maintained.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for frostbite residuals of the upper and lower extremities is denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities causally connected to his active military service.

The Board has remanded several issues including service connection for TBI, reopening of a claim for hemorrhoids, and increased ratings for cervical spine conditions. The issue of TDIU is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other claims.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for tension-type headaches was dismissed as the issue had been previously addressed by a final Board decision.,An effective date prior to December 11, 2012 for the grant of a separate evaluation for tension-type headaches is denied because it is not factually ascertainable that the Veteran's condition manifested within one year prior to his claim.,Service connection for paranoid schizophrenia with traumatic brain injury was granted on December 11, 2012. An effective date prior to this date is denied as there were no pending claims prior to the date of the Veteran's current claim.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new examination to assess his PTSD and TBI, as well as to determine whether he has any symptoms of TBI that are distinguishable from the impairment resulting from his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury is denied as the evidence does not support that the condition began during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,An effective date of August 15, 2013, but no earlier, has been granted for the grant of service connection for tinnitus. This is one year prior to the receipt of the completed Fully Developed Claim form by the Veteran.,The claim for an effective date prior to July 31, 2014 for the grant of service connection for PTSD is denied as there was no new and material evidence submitted within one year following the denial in May 2013. The RO reopened the claim but again denied it based on lack of a nexus to service.,The Veteran's claim for secondary service connection for erectile dysfunction to include as secondary to service-connected PTSD is remanded due to an inadequate opinion from the July 2016 VA examiner.,The Veteran's claim for secondary service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to include as secondary to a service-connected disability is remanded due to an inadequate opinion from the December 2015 VA examiner.,The Veteran's claim for secondary service connection for a headache disorder to include as secondary to service-connected PTSD and/or tinnitus is remanded due to an inadequate opinion from the July 2016 VA examiner.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and remanded the claims for service connection for a benign head tumor, left ear hearing loss, neurological impairment of cranial nerves, and balance disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his TBI/psychiatric disorder and lumbar spine/radiculopathy disabilities.

The Board has remanded several service connection claims due to the Veteran's active duty records being unavailable. The Veteran is asked to provide any additional medical or non-medical evidence, including witness statements and medical records, to support his account of events during his U.S. Army Reserve assignment.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for TBI and unspecified joint pain. Service connection is granted for gastrointestinal disorder, neurological symptoms of bilateral upper and lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran injured his low back during combat service with continuity of symptomatology since the injury. The diagnosis of lumbosacral strain secondary to Marie-Strumpell's (rheumatoid spondylitis) disease cannot be disassociated from the in-service injury and the x-ray findings of bony ankylosis of the dorsal spine during service.,The Board has also granted service connection for Raynaud’s syndrome as a residual of frostbite of the hands and feet, finding that reasonable doubt establishes that he manifested Raynaud’s syndrome as a residual of frostbite of the hands and feet.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant, and no effective date or rating adjustments are granted.

The Veteran's service connection claim for TBI residuals is granted as he sustained an in-service injury and has current disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for frostbite residuals in each extremity due to a lack of VA examination and medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claims for service connection for a head injury and cervical spine disorder was denied. The Board found that the submitted evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims, and there is no medical nexus between the current conditions and service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for traumatic brain injury and headaches associated with the injury are being remanded due to incomplete medical records from Methodist Charlton Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.