Migraines & headaches decisions — 2009

The Board has determined that further development of the Veteran's claims, including obtaining his service records and conducting medical examinations, is necessary to properly adjudicate these issues.

The Veteran's cluster headaches have not been productive of severe economic inadaptability, and thus a rating in excess of the current 30 percent evaluation is denied.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for migraine headaches, which he claims are related to his in-service nasal surgery. The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine the etiology of his migraines and whether they are proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected hemangioma.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by her representative, and thus the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations and medical records review.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine disability, hypertension, migraine headaches, and chronic lung disability were denied. His claim for an increased rating for PTSD was also denied.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and rating were denied. The RO granted service connection for tension headaches associated with seizure disorders, but assigned a noncompensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including arteriosclerotic heart disease with myocardial infarction, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, insomnia, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, headaches, shortness of breath or respiratory disease, circulatory insufficiency of the legs and feet (peripheral vascular disease), bilateral ankle edema, blurry vision, and gout were denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's overpayment of VA disability compensation benefits was found to be due to an error in the calculation, and the Board granted a waiver for fifty percent of the debt.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected anxiety reaction with headaches contributed to his death by causing or contributing to heart failure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's preexisting chronic headache disability was aggravated by service, and thus is entitled to service connection. The Veteran's hemorrhoids are not shown to be related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's unilateral left frontal temporal headaches are found to be service-connected. Additionally, his chondromalacia of the left patella and arthritis of the left knee are each rated at 10 percent, while he is granted a non-compensable evaluation for residuals of a laceration over the left eye. The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for nerve and muscle damage due to surgery, right groin (to include right pelvic/hip damage causing the right side to be shorter than the left), root canal problems (to include gum disease with loss of teeth), fibromyalgia (to include body wide sickness and nausea secondary to dental work and extreme fatigue), depression, insomnia, neck problems (claimed as neck problems with bone spurring), back problems (claimed as scoliosis in the spine), chronic ear problems (claimed as hole punctured and eardrum), anemia, vision problems (to include an eye condition), hearing loss, impairment of the right knee, right foot condition, head condition, carpal tunnel syndrome, right (also claimed as paralysis of medial nerve), left knee condition, and left foot condition have all been denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection on appeal are being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for further examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and low back disability, as well as his claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for degenerative joint disease of the left hip. The initial evaluation for this condition was also denied.

The Veteran's initial compensable disability rating for migraine headaches prior to March 14, 2008 was granted. Since then, he has been awarded a higher disability rating of 30 percent for his migraines since that date. His service-connected DJD of the lumbar spine continues to warrant a 40 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on several service-connected disabilities have been withdrawn. The Board does not have jurisdiction to decide these claims.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and Social Security Administration records. The Veteran is also required to provide authorization for private medical providers to release their records.

The Veteran's migraine headaches were not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The Board found that the medical evidence did not support a connection between the Veteran's migraines and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for neck scars and migraine headaches were denied, while his claims for right knee and left knee disabilities were granted with initial non-compensable disability ratings.