The Board finds that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current bilateral hand injury is related to his service-connected disabilities, and grants service connection for residuals of a bilateral hand injury secondary to his service-connected traumatic brain injury and depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran experienced flashbacks and disorientation due to his service-connected mental health disorders, which may have contributed to him grabbing onto a trash compactor during work in 2001, resulting in a bilateral hand injury. The Board finds this relationship at least as likely as not.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of traumatic brain injury, depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2011
- Citation
- 1138209
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1138209.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's vascular headaches are granted effective August 22, 2011. A TDIU is granted effective February 11, 2015. SMC based on housebound criteria is denied prior to July 14, 2020.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 100% rating for depressive disorder, effective August 1, 2020, as the reduction was improper and did not comply with applicable regulations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, including unspecified anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, kleptomania, and PTSD is being remanded due to the AOJ's failure to obtain medical records from his periods of incarceration or a medical opinion regarding his diagnoses.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted service connection for migraine headaches effective August 10, 2022.,The Veteran was granted service connection for depressive disorder effective April 11, 2024.
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