Tbi Secondary's

[jackdays]

HAVE A FRIEND THAT RECENTLY HAS BEED RATED AT 40% FOR TBI. HE HAS OTHER COMPLICATIONS. WANTED TO KNOW WHAT CONDITIONS ARE SECONDARY TO TBI.

THANKS IN ADVANCE

[NavyWife]

A TBI can be a life altering event because it involves the brain. So many things can be secondary to TBI, but I will get the list started...

Depression

Anxiety

PTSD due to the TBI event

Any physical damage caused by the TBI event

Tinnitus

Scars from the TBI event

Sleep Apnea has been linked to TBI

Neurological issues

Nerve damage

Headaches

Blurred vision

There are also 5 recognized secondary issues for TBI including seizures, depression within a specific time frame after the TBI & Parkinson's & dementia. These issues do not need a nexus statement linking them to a service connected condition. Only the diagnosis is needed, so long as the TBI has already been service connected.

http://legalmeetspractical.com/2012/12/26/va-recognizes-five-disabilities-as-secondary-to-traumatic-brain-injury/

Don't forget with the exception of the 5 recognized secondary conditions, the vet will need a nexus statement from the doctor. Once the doc diagnoses each secondary issue, they must also state, "the _______is at least as likely as not caused by TBI."

Edited January 18, 2014 by NavyWife

[militarynurse]

Those 5 presumptive conditions to TBI currently are only a proposal. Final action to make it law doesn't tentatively go into effect until April 2014, a few months away.

The VA's criteria to qualify those 5 secondary conditions of TBI for presumptive service connection seems unduly restrictive, especially on older WWII, Vietnam and Korea era Veterans etc. who suffered a TBI when less was medically known about the sequelae of that type of injury. Veterans with "mild" TBIs are also going to have an uphill battle getting their secondary conditions from TBI presumed as service connected by the VA. Lots of hoops for Veterans to jump through are attached to this proposal.

Please read the proposal carefully: One of those proposed 5 presumed secondary conditions of TBI, "Parkinsonism" is or can be different from "Parkinson's disease" which it is sometimes confused with.

Diabetes Insipidus ought to be added to the list of proposed secondary conditions as some studies indicate permanent DI is found in higher than normal percentages in post moderate to severe TBI patients due to posterior pituitary dysfunction.

Edited December 13, 2013 by militarynurse

[Scout Swimmer]

Ok, confused. I was awarded TBI back in 09. I currently have a claim in for depression. I have been diagnosed with severe depression and was maxed out on thier perscription dosage for treatment. Does this mean I will win my depression claim even without a private doctor nexus? My mental health doctor straight out told me that it was secondary to my TBI, but then at my last appointment said it was secondary to PTSD, which I've never claimed. Maybe she ment depression? Anyway, I'm all kinds of confused. Don't know what my next step should be.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Philgrenier

[NavyWife]

Phil-

Click on that link in my post. It will take you to a legal website which explains in a lot of detail the criteria for those conditions. The depression must occur within a very specific timeframe after the TBI, either one year or three years after the TBI, depending on the type of TBI. Also the depression cannot have occurred prior to the TBI.

But even if you don't meet their very specific criteria, it can still be secondary to a TBI... Or secondary to any other service connected condition...

You mentioned your claim is already in for the depression. Is it written up as a secondary condition or as a standard direct service-connected condition?

Edited January 18, 2014 by NavyWife

[Scout Swimmer]

I'm not really sure. I have no idea how my VSO wrote it up.

[jackdays]

my friends claim was wriiten as headaches secondary to tbi and was granted, but depression was not written as secondary and was denied. was resubmitted as secondary to tbi, also dementia, parkinson, vision and hearing. see how that goes.