Migraines & headaches decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective date, increased rating, and service connection are denied. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's skin condition and headaches.

The Board finds that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims of service connection for headaches and hypertension. The Veteran's headaches were incurred in active military service and he does not have hypertension that was incurred in or aggravated during active military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased disability ratings, finding that his claimed conditions were not established as incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to unclear relationship between current conditions and service, as well as potential aggravation of a pre-existing condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back, right arm and shoulder, left arm and shoulder, right hand and finger disorders as well as a rating in excess of 10 percent for anoxic encephalopathy with residual impairment of cognitive and cerebral function. The appeals were not about service connection at all.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have current disabilities of bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, tinnitus, or a perforated left ear drum for VA compensation purposes and there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, back, face and nose scars, and migraine headaches are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran's dental conditions, including the loss of all upper teeth and headaches, are not attributable to in-service events or diseases. Service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for tension headaches and granted service connection. The Veteran also had his claim for a cervical spine disability related to an in-service injury accepted by the Board.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting higher disability ratings for her service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to a lack of sufficient rationale in the previous VA examination opinions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran currently has sinus disorder, headache disorder, and sleep disorder (to include sleep apnea) that are related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected head injury above the right eye with residual headaches has not resulted in characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on an average once a month over the last several months, thus warranting a rating no higher than 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are related to his service-connected psychiatric disorder, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, a sleep disorder, joint pain involving the knees and wrists, fatigue, headaches, neuropsychological symptoms, and PTSD. The evidence received since September 2002 does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate any of these claims.

The Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, and service connection for headaches and a stomach condition were denied. The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent effective February 5, 2003.

The Board has determined that the appellant's non-specific chronic headaches are related to service and grants his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's defective vision (other than ophthalmic migraines and exophoria with intermittent decompensation) is not causally or etiologically related to service.

The Veteran's residuals of head injury are currently rated at 10 percent, but the March 2006 rating decision continued this rating. The Board found that the residuals meet criteria for a 30 percent rating based on headaches occurring once per month and subjective complaints of dizziness, mild memory loss, sleep impairment, and difficulty concentrating.