The Veteran's dysequilibrium, status post carotid artery dissection (claimed as dizziness secondary to TBI), is not related to his service-connected TBI or any in-service incurrence.,There is no evidence of hypertension during active service and the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hypertension.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's dissection of the carotid artery was not related to the Veteran’s TBI, noting the 15-year time frame between the TBI and the carotid artery dissection made it less likely as not that they are related.
- Claimed conditions
- dysequilibrium, status post carotid artery dissection (claimed as dizziness secondary to TBI), dissection of carotid artery (claimed as secondary to TBI), headaches (claimed as secondary to TBI), mild dysarthria (claimed as speech problems secondary to TBI), persistent depressive disorder (claimed as anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, memory loss, and loss of focus claimed as due to TBI)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19124229
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and denied service connection for a lower back disorder. The claims for depression, substance abuse disorder, and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss were dismissed.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for memory loss and found that the issue of TDIU from September 6, 2022 is moot.
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