The Veteran's TBI disability is rated at 40 percent, effective April 8, 2019. The Board denied increased ratings for his TBI and service connection claims for right elbow, wrist, knee, and left knee conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the Veteran’s TBI warranted a level 3 or higher impairment in any facet of cognitive impairment and other residuals of TBI, nor did it establish residuals symptoms consistent with level one or above impairment in any of these facets. The Veteran's residual symptoms are appropriately considered in the assigned 40 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Right Elbow Condition, Right Wrist Condition, Right Knee Condition, Left Knee Condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- December 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19196164
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,886 · Granted: 24% (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 19196164.
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 has granted service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its residuals, including unsteady gait, somnolence, and cognitive dysfunction. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible lay statements about in-service head injuries and subsequent seizures.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and therefore, service connection for TBI is denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee conditions, finding that the Veteran's current knee conditions are more likely than not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance due to service-connected TBI with PTSD is granted, effective September 6, 2018.
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