The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a TBI is granted.,An effective date earlier than November 7, 2016, for the award of service connection for residual scars, left periorbital, right upper lip and right chin is denied.,A rating in excess of 10 percent for residual scars, left periorbotal, right upper lip and right chin is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is remanded.
The deciding factor: Service connection for residuals of a TBI was granted based on the evidence showing that the Veteran sustained a blow to the head during service and has post-service residuals of a TBI.,An effective date earlier than November 7, 2016, for the award of service connection for residual scars, left periorbital, right upper lip and right chin is not warranted as there was no formal or informal claim prior to this date.,The Veteran's facial scars have one characteristic of disfigurement but do not meet other criteria. Therefore, a rating in excess of 10 percent is denied.,Service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to the need for further examination and opinion regarding its etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI), residual scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19163320
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19163320.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal regarding service connection for residuals of TBI has been withdrawn. The cases of service connection for left shoulder and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for anxiety, depression, teeth grinding, residuals of TBI, sleep disability, breathing disability, and IBS as there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all service connection claims and rating determinations due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is granted as the TBI had its onset during active duty and has been recurrent since then.
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