The Board denied entitlement to earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for a deviated nasal septum and traumatic brain injury, and remanded several other claims including those for service connection for esophagus disability, heart disability, schizophrenia disorder, jaw disability, left ear disability, compensable rating for deviated septum, rating in excess of 10 percent for TBI, rating in excess of 50 percent for headaches, earlier effective date for the award of service connection for headaches, and individual unemployability prior to November 13, 2020.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence did not support an earlier effective date for the deviated nasal septum and TBI claims, and remanded other claims due to inadequate medical opinions or intertwined issues.
- Claimed conditions
- deviated nasal septum, traumatic brain injury (TBI), esophagus disability, heart disability, schizophrenia disorder, depressive type, jaw disability (mouth/teeth), left ear disability to include hearing
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2024
- Citation
- 24000315
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for somatic symptom disorder, respiratory disorders (including COPD), nephrolithiasis, deviated nasal septum, and higher initial disability ratings for PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress and GERD, hiatal hernia, reflux esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal requests for service connection and increased ratings were denied due to untimeliness, as the appeals were not filed within one year of the respective rating decisions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral plantar fasciitis, chronic pain syndrome, sciatic radicular pain of both legs, traumatic brain injury (TBI), shin splints of both legs, thoracic spondylosis, right shoulder strain, right wrist strain, acne, and allergic rhinitis.
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