Traumatic brain injury (TBI) Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for frostbite of the left foot and right foot as there is no credible medical evidence linking these conditions to an in-service event.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C, diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, cholesterol problems, and hypertension have been denied. The Veteran's claim of increased rating for TBI has also been remanded.,Service connection for psychiatric disability, obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) are pending.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA TBI examination to determine if the Veteran's current symptoms are related to his head injury in service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to perform daily activities of living without the assistance of another, and he meets the criteria for SMC by reason of the need for regular aid and attendance from another person.

The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his claims for service connection for PTSD and residuals of a TBI. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and providing a medical opinion regarding any current non-psychiatric symptoms of TBI residuals.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for Traumatic Brain Injury and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder were denied. The case was remanded due to the need for further evaluation.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD. The rating for PTSD remains at 70 percent, and the ratings for TBI, tension headaches, left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy are all denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's TBI is directly related to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's TBI and defective color perception are granted service connection. The respiratory condition, to include asbestosis, is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's migraines, associated with major depressive disorder and traumatic brain injury, are now rated at 50% effective February 10, 2017.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for compressed vertebra, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, hypertension, eczema, left hip condition, and TBI have been granted. The Veteran is also granted a higher rating for his PTSD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding his claimed disabilities, particularly TBI and tinnitus. The AOJ is instructed to arrange new examinations with qualified professionals who can provide opinions on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a traumatic brain injury with residuals is denied because there is no evidence of a TBI during service and the current disability does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of a TBI and recurrent epistaxis have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.,New evidence has not raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims of service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on remand include broken right hand, low back disability, left knee injury, TBI with residual effects and cognitive disorder, and a scar. The claims are being returned to the RO for additional development of records.

The Veteran's TBI disability is currently rated at 10 percent since June 24, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating as there was no level 2 impairment in cognition, emotional/behavioral or physical/neurological dysfunction attributable to his TBI.

The Veteran's traumatic brain injury with major depressive disorder and unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder is rated at 70 percent since November 14, 2016. The symptoms have caused significant impairment in work, social, and family relations.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is granted as service-connected. The cases of anorgasmia, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, bursitis of the left hip, status-post trauma to the left thumb and middle finger, and traumatic brain injury are all remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, finding that these conditions are related to service-connected disabilities. The claim for TBI was denied.

The Veteran's headache condition, posttraumatic headaches associated with TBI, is restored to a 30 percent disability rating from June 14, 2013, to July 10, 2017. The Veteran's condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating during this period.