Migraines & headaches decisions — 2001

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability and also denied entitlement to a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches and residuals of a left eye injury, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the previously denied claims.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for service-connected migraine headaches, finding that the current rating adequately reflects the veteran's disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence and a need for clarification of medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's scalp laceration scar with headaches does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding that his hearing loss is not more than noncompensable under the old criteria in effect through June 9, 1999.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and an increased evaluation for hypertension with hypertensive heart disease, finding that his substantive appeals were not timely filed. The claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability was also denied.

The veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his disability ratings were denied as the increase in disability was not ascertainable within one year prior to the June 26, 1997 claim.

The veteran's chest pain is attributed to a known clinical diagnosis (gastroesophageal reflux disease), and thus service connection for this condition as a manifestation of an undiagnosed illness is denied. The RO has granted a 10 percent rating for migraine headaches, effective from April 18, 1996, but the veteran seeks separate ratings for gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

The Board denied service connection for TMJ syndrome, arthritis of the jaw, and headaches as residuals of dental surgery. The case is remanded to further develop evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to changes in the law and incomplete records.

The RO denied the appellant's claims for service connection and accrued benefits, but granted service connection for residuals of a gunshot wound to the left ankle for accrued benefits purposes.

The veteran's claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was granted with an effective date of February 11, 2000. The veteran's daughter is also eligible for Dependent's Educational Assistance under Chapter 35.

The Board denied service connection for headaches, nausea, and fatigue due to an undiagnosed illness, as well as memory loss and retropatellar pain syndrome of the right knee.

The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that the appellant's pre-existing condition worsened during active duty in the Persian Gulf. The other issues remain pending and will be addressed in the remand section.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected PTSD did not warrant an evaluation in excess of 70 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cervical spine disorder and headaches were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's service-connected Blount's disease and migraine headaches, finding that her symptoms did not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent.

The Board denied service connection for headaches and impairment of the neck, concluding that there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's macroadenoma of the pituitary gland does not warrant a disability rating in excess of 30 percent, and her claim for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ is denied.