The Veteran's claim for service connection for head injury residuals is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for low back disability is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma is granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition (abnormal heart with chest pain) is remanded.
The deciding factor: The weight of the evidence shows that the Veteran does not currently have residuals of a traumatic brain injury sustained during active duty, and there is insufficient medical evidence to establish a head injury in service.,Service treatment records do not suggest that the Veteran developed a chronic back disability caused by his service. The Board finds no current back disability.,The Veteran's asthma was present prior to service, and the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether it arose in or is related to his service. After resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran, the Board finds that service connection for asthma is warranted.,Given the Veteran's non-deployment-related exposure to a hazardous substance in service, a TERA opinion should be obtained.
- Claimed conditions
- head injury residuals, low back disability, asthma, heart condition (abnormal heart with chest pain)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 5, 2024
- Citation
- A24043619
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 A24043619.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases of sleep apnea and asthma due to a failure to provide proper notice for a hearing.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to August 14, 2023.
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