The Board denied service connection for residuals of an in-service head injury, including headaches and memory loss, as well as a vision disability, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a link between the claimed disabilities and the Veteran's active duty service, specifically noting that current residuals of an in-service head injury were not shown by the competent and probative evidence of record; chronic headaches were not shown in service, and they are not otherwise related to any incident of service, including an in-service head injury. Any current memory loss disability has also not been attributed to an in-service head injury or other injury or incident of service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of an in-service head injury, headaches, memory loss, blurred vision
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0910643
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased initial disability evaluation of headaches due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, radiculopathies, a bladder disability, headaches, a left knee disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral conjunctivitis. The Board also granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
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