The Board has determined that the Veteran sustained a shrapnel injury to his head during service and finds that this injury is related to his active duty. As such, the claim for service connection for shrapnel in the head is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran was involved in an incident where he was injured by an exploding rocket during his deployment in Vietnam, resulting in a foreign body lodged in his head. The Board found credible the Veteran's account of this event and established that it occurred during service. Additionally, there is medical evidence linking the shrapnel injury to his active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- shrapnel in the head
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19192287
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · 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 19192287.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to inadequate examination reports and failure to address Veteran's reports of bleeding from scars.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's shrapnel wounds to his head and back have increased in severity since the last VA examination, which did not note bleeding or instability. The case is remanded for an updated VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has directed further development of the veteran's claim for a separate evaluation for retained shrapnel fragments, claimed as shrapnel in the head. The RO must review the evidence and provide appropriate notice under the VCAA before appellate review can occur.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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