The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed traumatic brain injury. The VA examiner must provide an addendum opinion addressing the August 2010 TBI Signs and Symptoms Questionnaire.
The deciding factor: The July 2018 and October 2020 Board directives were not substantially complied with, as the VA examiner did not specifically address the August 2010 TBI Signs and Symptoms Questionnaire in his medical opinion rationale.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21030369
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 21030369.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial ratings for anxiety disorder and TBI were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected traumatic brain injury is being remanded due to a procedural error.
- Granted
The Board granted entitlement to SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(t) effective January 21, 2019, based on the appellant's need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected TBI.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for TBI is denied. The appeal for entitlement to TDIU is dismissed as moot.
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