Migraines & headaches decisions — 2003

The Board has remanded the case due to procedural defects in notification under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 (VCAA). The veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and a spinal condition are being returned to the Department of Veterans Affairs for further action.

The Board has granted service connection for an anxiety disorder and a 10 percent rating for migraines, finding that the veteran's conditions were incurred in or aggravated by her military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's headaches and cervical spine disorder are related to his service-connected shell fragment wounds, and thus grants these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 100% evaluation, effective from March 1998. The veteran's other claims are pending.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for migraine headaches with visual disturbance and granted it, finding that the evidence is sufficient to establish a link between the condition and his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for a headache disorder and left knee disorder, finding no new evidence to support reopening the left knee claim. The rating for his skin disability was increased but not changed.

The Board has ordered further development due to pending issues and will remand the case for additional examination and review.

The Board has ordered further development due to the need for additional evidence and clarification. The case will be remanded for a Persian Gulf War veteran examination and review of available records.

The veteran's service-connected headaches are rated at 50 percent, the maximum rating available under VA guidelines.

The Board has ordered further development due to the need for additional evidence and clarification of the evidence. The case is now remanded for several actions, including obtaining medical records from the VA Medical Center in Montgomery, Alabama, and scheduling the veteran for various examinations.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current disabilities of sinusitis, loss of vision (presbyopia and refractive error with blurred vision associated with migraine headaches), or a stomach disorder related to his military service. The appeal is denied.

The Board has ordered further development in the veteran's case, including obtaining medical records and arranging for examinations. The appeal is currently pending due to the need for additional evidence.

The Board denied increased evaluations for the veteran's service-connected right eye diplopia and strabismus, posttraumatic headaches, and did not reopen the claim for hepatitis C.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches secondary to a service-connected right eye disability and has determined that the veteran's right eye disability warrants an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board granted service connection for headaches, anal condyloma, a psychiatric disorder (manifested by mood swings, anxiety, night sweats, memory loss and fatigue), joint stiffness and chest/rib pain, and irritable bowel syndrome due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a low back disorder and its related secondary disorders. The decision is not clear on whether any of these conditions were found to be due to exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation, or Gulf War.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and verifying employment status. The veteran's claim for an extraschedular evaluation for his service-connected headaches and TDIU issues are pending.

The Board has granted a 50 percent rating for the veteran's service-connected anxiety and hypochondriacal reaction manifested by headaches, finding that it meets the criteria for such a rating based on daily migraine headaches with associated symptoms.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection are being remanded due to the need for compliance with the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000, including notification requirements under 38 U.S.C.A. § 5103(a) and 38 C.F.R. § 3.159.

The Board has determined that the veteran's arthritis of the spine and headaches were not incurred or aggravated by service, and thus denied both claims.