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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 832 · Granted: 18% (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 20006883.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran's eligibility for the VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is being remanded because the decision was based on incomplete medical evidence and did not consider all available records.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for SMC based on aid and attendance is denied as the effective date cannot be prior to November 9, 2017.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error regarding the etiology of memory and concentration problems, which were not adequately addressed in the March 2021 VA examination. The Veteran's service-connected headaches may be related to an in-service head injury, and post-service records document reported memory issues.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for TBI, back strain, chest pain, foot pain, and tendonitis as there is no evidence of disease or injury incurred during active duty or training.
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