The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for headaches due to head trauma was denied. The issue of entitlement to a TDIU prior to August 26, 2003 is also denied. The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for traumatic brain injury (TBI) rated noncompensable prior to March 2, 2010 and 10 percent disabling since that date was not addressed in this decision.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show the severity of the Veteran’s headaches due to head trauma warranted a rating higher than 50 percent. The TBI issue was also denied as it was part and parcel of the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for headaches due to head trauma.
- Claimed conditions
- headaches due to head trauma, TBI
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006883
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for additional medical evaluation to determine if the Veteran's symptoms are separate from his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for the Veteran's service-connected TBI and remanded the claim for service connection for headaches, to include as secondary to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as they are not related to active service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, but granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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