The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a back injury and dental condition are denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury is also denied as there is no current medical diagnosis relevant to understanding or management of mental health.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient evidence to establish that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his period of active service, including an in-service head injury which did not result in any residual disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of a back injury, Residuals of a traumatic brain injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2016
- Citation
- 1648513
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1648513.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of a 70 percent disability rating for service-connected psychiatric disabilities has been dismissed because no notice of disagreement was filed within the required time frame.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for referral to the Director, Compensation Service, due to past history of more severe and frequent seizures that could impact employment.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the issues of service connection for residuals of a pelvic injury, back injury, left hip injury, and head injury, as well as the issue regarding whether the injuries were due to willful misconduct.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of a traumatic brain injury, a rating in excess of 20 percent for a left shoulder disability, and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities for further evidentiary development.
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