The Veteran's service connection claim for traumatic brain injury residuals, including a mild neurocognitive disorder, is granted as the evidence shows he was exposed to multiple blasts during his deployment in Vietnam and developed symptoms consistent with a mild cognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury.
The deciding factor: The Veteran served in Vietnam as a combat medic and reported being knocked off his feet from a shelling blast. The VA neuropsychological assessment confirmed the presence of a mild neurocognitive disorder related to traumatic brain injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic Brain Injury, Mild Neurocognitive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19186662
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (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 19186662.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial ratings for anxiety disorder and TBI were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected traumatic brain injury is being remanded due to a procedural error.
- Granted
The Board granted entitlement to SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(t) effective January 21, 2019, based on the appellant's need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected TBI.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for TBI is denied. The appeal for entitlement to TDIU is dismissed as moot.
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