The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. Service connection was not granted for TBI, sleep apnea (to include as secondary to PTSD), or headaches. The Veteran's GERD claim also failed to meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a medical nexus between the claimed conditions and service, nor were there sufficient symptoms present to warrant higher ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Sleep Apnea, Headaches, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19187756
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.
- Granted
The Board granted a rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), as the Veteran's symptoms most nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disability, headaches, a back disability, heart disability, and residuals of a stroke, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service or caused by his service-connected left ear disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted a 10 percent evaluation for the Veteran's GERD, finding that his condition is productive of daily medications to control dysphagia and is otherwise asymptomatic.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal in September 2025, stating that she is now 100% permanently and totally disabled effective April 29, 2025.
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