The Veteran's TBI is secondary to his service-connected PTSD, and the Board finds that he has residuals of this injury including a skull defect, right eye disability, loss of senses of smell and taste, loss of jawbone, loss of teeth, and an injury to the roof of the mouth.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's TBI was incurred secondary to his service-connected PTSD as evidenced by his suicide attempt in November 1998 which resulted from PTSD symptoms such as depression, nightmares, traumatic memories, and stress.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Skull defect, Right eye disability, Loss of the sense of smell, Loss of the sense of taste, Loss of the jawbone, Loss of teeth, Injury to the roof of the mouth
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2016
- Citation
- 1609455
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 1609455.
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 Board has granted service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its residuals, including unsteady gait, somnolence, and cognitive dysfunction. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible lay statements about in-service head injuries and subsequent seizures.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and therefore, service connection for TBI is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance due to service-connected TBI with PTSD is granted, effective September 6, 2018.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for special monthly pension (SMP) based on the need for aid and attendance is granted due to his cognitive impairment resulting from a motor vehicle accident in 2018, which has rendered him unable to work and needing assistance with daily activities.
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