The appeal for a compensable rating for pleural plaques is dismissed. A compensable rating for residuals of traumatic brain injury is denied. The claim for TDIU prior to January 24, 2014, is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to report for the scheduled VA examination and this information was needed to evaluate his claims.
- Claimed conditions
- pleural plaques, residuals of traumatic brain injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20074616
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,162 · Granted: 21% (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 20074616.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection for asbestosis with pleural plaques and vascular dementia as secondary to asbestosis with pleural plaques due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for anxiety has already been granted, as the RO has already granted service connection for major depressive disorder and residuals of traumatic brain injury, which encompasses the entire appeal period.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for heart murmur and allergic rhinitis, finding the current conditions are related to service. Service connection was denied for headaches and residuals of traumatic brain injury due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of traumatic brain injury, migraine headaches as secondary to residuals of traumatic brain injury, cyclic vomiting syndrome as secondary to residuals of traumatic brain injury, and anxiety disorder as secondary to residuals of traumatic brain injury. The Board found that there was no current diagnosis of residuals of traumatic brain injury and the Veteran's symptoms were more likely related to her psychological conditions.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.