Migraines & headaches decisions — 2007

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for hypertension and headaches to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC) in Washington, DC. The veteran will be notified if further action is required on his part.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have service connection for any of the claimed disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, headaches, low back disability, and vision problems in the left eye.

The veteran withdrew his appeal in its entirety prior to the Board's decision.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his service-connected headaches and TDIU, finding that the earliest date of claim was November 12, 2001. The effective dates were determined to be appropriate based on the evidence showing entitlement arose in February 3, 1999.

The Board has reopened the claim for compensation benefits, pursuant to 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151, for headaches based on a head injury claimed to have been sustained during an August 1989 VA cardiac catherization. However, the claim is denied as there is no competent evidence or opinion that indicates the veteran's current headaches were caused by this procedure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed cervical spine, back, right shoulder, and right hand disabilities are not service-connected.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, memory loss, fatigue, and blackouts. The Board found that these conditions did not manifest during or as a result of his military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for VA examinations and compliance with duty-to-assist requirements.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions did not have their onset during service and are not related to his military service. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased disability ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support the requested increases or connections.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including migraine headaches, tinnitus, gastroesophageal disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome, chest pain, a low back disorder, and PTSD.

The veteran is found to be unemployable due to his nonservice-connected disabilities, including hypertension, anxiety disorder, PTSD, arthritis, foot problems, learning disability, and migraine headaches. The Board finds that the combination of these conditions permanently precludes him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have service-connected disabilities for residuals of venous angioma in the left hemisphere, a conversion disorder, bilateral hearing loss, or tinnitus. The veteran's claims are denied.

The Board has ordered the case back to the RO for further development and consideration, including a neurological evaluation of the veteran's headaches. The veteran is seeking service connection for his reported headaches.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for the veteran's service-connected migraine headaches, effective from February 1, 1999.

The veteran's migraine headaches are manifested by no more than characteristic prostrating attacks that occur on an average of once a month over the last several months, and she is granted a 30 percent rating for this condition.

The veteran's migraines are sometimes manifest as between one and twelve characteristic prostrating attacks per month, with each attack lasting roughly two hours and requiring retreat to a dark place. The Board granted a 30 percent rating for migraine headaches prior to June 16, 2006.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, cysts of the body, memory loss due to an undiagnosed illness, low back pain due to an undiagnosed illness, and chronic fatigue due to an undiagnosed illness. The evidence did not show that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for migraine headaches was denied as there is no current diagnosis of this condition.,Service connection for a psychiatric condition was also denied, with the examiner finding that the adjustment disorder with anxiety did not have its onset in service and was not related to any service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension is not related to his service, and thus denied this claim. The claims for service connection for multiple brain lesions and headaches, as well as chloracne, are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology.