Migraines & headaches decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim for service connection for depression, but it is unclear whether this will result in a grant or denial of service connection due to the mixed nature of the issues. The veteran's claims for PTSD and migraine headaches remain pending.

The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for residuals of a fracture to the ring finger of the left hand was granted, with a final effective date set at March 31, 1998. The claim for service connection for headaches and increased ratings for anxiety neurosis were denied.

The veteran requested to withdraw his appeal, and the Board has dismissed it.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions of vertigo, migraines, and tinnitus are not related to his service or any incident therein. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for migraine headaches, finding that there was no evidence linking his current headache disorder to his period of active military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left long thoracic nerve neurapraxia, low back disorder, neurological condition with headaches, dizziness and light-headedness, shortening of the left lower extremity, first degree AV block, respiratory disorder, hearing loss, skin condition of the hands and feet (claimed as a foot disorder due to frostbite), facial lacerations, nasal fracture, teeth numbers 8 and 9 for VA dental treatment, and jaw disability. The claims were found not to have been incurred in service.

The Board denied service connection for a left post auricular area cyst (claimed as skin condition) and granted service connection for tension headaches.,Service connection was not established for diabetes mellitus, bilateral knee disorder, or heart condition/hypertension.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia, headaches, coronary artery disease and hypertension, blisters of the hands and feet, and sores on the scalp due to exposure to ionizing radiation, Agent Orange, and other toxic agents. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board found that the veteran's current right-sided focal headaches are not related to his in-service left-sided headaches, which were accompanied by swelling of the face and pain in the left eye. The preponderance of evidence does not support service connection for the veteran's current headaches.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disorder and headaches are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations to assess the severity of his low back disability, migraine headaches, and costochondritis.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of hemorrhoids and allergic rhinitis were denied. However, he was granted service connection for a gastrointestinal disability characterized by heartburn.

The Board has determined that the veteran's ophthalmic migraine headaches are not proximately due to, caused by, or aggravated by his service-connected chorioretinitis of the left eye.

The Board denied service connection for headaches, neck injury, PTSD, and back injury as the evidence did not meet the criteria to reopen previously denied claims.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for headaches and dizziness due to head trauma have been denied as there is no evidence of prostrating attacks or other symptoms warranting a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, headaches, a chronic back disorder, acne vulgaris (claimed as a residual of exposure to Agent Orange), scars (claimed as a residual of exposure to Agent Orange), asthma, and a 'gland problem' (claimed as a residual of exposure to Agent Orange). The RO denied service connection for these conditions in March 1982.

The Board has restored the veteran's 50 percent evaluation for his accidental isopropyl alcohol poisoning, manifested by headaches and mild attention deficit.

The veteran's service connection claims for impaired vision, hearing loss, asthma, and headaches have been granted. The initial rating of 30 percent for service-connected headaches has also been granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's alopecia universalis and headaches are due to undiagnosed illnesses related to his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.