Migraines & headaches decisions — 2007

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected post-operative enucleation of right eye, iritis with sarcoidosis and glaucoma does not warrant a rating in excess of 40 percent. The issue of entitlement to TDIU remains before the Board due to ongoing development.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including providing proper VCAA notice and scheduling VA examinations to address the etiology of the claimant's cervical spine disabilities and migraine headaches.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical spine, lumbosacral strain, and musculo-contracture headaches were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine condition, migraine headaches, and gastritis as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for headaches as a residual of head injury due to lack of evidence of current disability and no link between the in-service head injury and current symptoms.,The Board also denied service connection for a right knee condition, finding that there is no chronicity in service or post-service continuity of symptomatology.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right and left knee disabilities, ankle disabilities, temporomandibular joint disease, scars of multiple body parts, unspecified condition of the temple (other than scarring), vision loss, and headaches. The appeals were based on direct evidence rather than a presumption or secondary to service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of a neck disorder, headache disorder, and left shoulder disorder. The conditions are not related to service or any service-connected condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a circumcision, bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, and headaches. The decision found that there was no current disability related to the circumcision performed during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's migraine headaches meet the criteria for a 50 percent rating, but her service-connected disabilities do not preclude her from securing or following substantially gainful employment. Therefore, the claim for TDIU is denied.

The veteran's claims for headaches, including reopening of his service connection claim and seeking a compensable rating for his preretinal hemorrhage of the left eye, are being remanded due to the need to obtain Social Security Administration records and provide proper VCAA notice.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of migraine headaches or left knee disability due to service. However, as his preexisting conditions worsened during active duty, he is granted service connection for these disabilities on the basis of aggravation.

The VA determined that there is no competent evidence linking the veteran's dizziness and claimed migraine headaches to his service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The veteran's migraine headaches are rated at 10% due to prostrating attacks occurring once every two months. The veteran's sinusitis and rhinitis are rated at 30% based on six non-incapacitating episodes per year with symptoms like headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting. The right shoulder impingement syndrome is rated at 20%, meeting the criteria for limitation of motion to abduction between 100-180 degrees.

The Board finds that the veteran's claimed back disorder was not incurred in active military service and is not secondary to a service-connected disability. The claim for headaches has also been denied as there is no current diagnosis of chronic headache.,Service connection for both the back disorder and the headache condition have been denied due to lack of evidence supporting their etiology.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding that they were not incurred or aggravated by his military service and are not due to a 'qualifying chronic disability.'

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an increased rating for post-traumatic headaches. The veteran is already in receipt of a 30 percent disability rating for his post-traumatic headaches, effective September 30, 2002.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection of residuals of a head injury, which includes headaches. The Board found that new and material evidence had been presented to support the claim, including a current diagnosis of post-traumatic headaches related to an in-service head injury. Service connection is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches, tinnitus, and a lumbar spine injury with degenerative disc disease. The claim for PTSD was also denied due to lack of corroborated in-service stressor. For his right shoulder disability, the rating remained at 30 percent effective August 29, 2006.

The Board finds no clear and unmistakable error in the October 2, 1992 rating decision that granted service connection for muscle contraction headaches due to status post enucleation of the right eye. The veteran was notified of this decision at her current address.