The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI, Degenerative Arthritis of the Lumbar Spine and Bilateral Radiculopathy, Residuals of TBI, and Tinnitus. The claims are granted to this extent. However, due to new evidence received since the last denial, the Board is remanding the Veteran's claims for service connection for Hearing Loss and Left Eye Injury.
The deciding factor: New evidence has been submitted that relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claims, specifically whether the conditions are related to active service. The Board finds that additional medical opinions are needed to address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Degenerative Arthritis of the Lumbar Spine, Bilateral Radiculopathy, Migraines, Hearing Loss, Left Eye Injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19189978
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 19189978.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased disability evaluation for PTSD but granted an earlier effective date for TDIU of August 6, 2012.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, COPD, a gastrointestinal disability, and migraines due to lack of evidence supporting a link between these conditions and her military service.
- 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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