The Veteran's service-connected head injury, residual scar of the right parietal scalp and headaches have been evaluated as 10 percent disabling. The Board denied a higher evaluation for both conditions.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not show visible or palpable tissue loss, gross distortion or asymmetry of one feature or paired set of features, or; two or three characteristics of disfigurement for the head injury and residual scar. For headaches, there were no prostrating attacks occurring on an average once a month over the last several months.
- Claimed conditions
- head injury, residual scar of the right parietal scalp, headaches, to include migraines
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19148951
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,874 · Granted: 33% (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 19148951.
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 has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error in obtaining missing service treatment records. The AOJ is instructed to attempt to obtain these records and conduct any necessary development, including VA examinations.
- Denied
The Veteran's head injuries and post-traumatic headaches following an October 2023 VA shuttle bus incident are not compensable under 38 U.S.C. §1151 because the injuries occurred before any treatment or examination by VA.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back spasms, confusion/memory loss, depression, fatty tumors on back, and head injury as there is no current diagnosis or in-service event to support these conditions.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal because the Veteran's notice of disagreement was untimely filed, more than one year after the issuance of the June 2019 and April 2021 rating decisions.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.