The Veteran's claims for service connection for concussion and TBI were denied in March 1971, and his claim for migraine headaches was not granted until March 24, 2011. The decision is final as the Veteran did not appeal within one year of notice.
The deciding factor: The evidence at the time of the March 1971 rating decision did not support a finding that the Veteran sustained a concussion during service or that his headaches were secondary to an in-service head injury.
- Claimed conditions
- concussion, scar near left eye with history of headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- April 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19132659
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19132659.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis for any of the claimed conditions and thus, service connection is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertensive vascular disease, concussion, diabetes mellitus, seizure disability, bilateral pes planus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (alcohol use disorder in sustained remission and PTSD). The effective date for hypertension was denied as the Veteran's claim was received within one year of the PACT Act.
- Granted
The Veteran's anxiety disorder with depressive features, including TBI, is now rated at 50% effective May 22, 2021. This decision grants the increased rating claim for this condition.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death.
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