Migraines & headaches decisions — 2014

The Board has granted service connection for headaches, tinea pedis, and onychomycosis of all toenails. The effective date for the 10 percent rating for tinea cruris is set at May 9, 2013.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and examinations.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU and his service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome is service-connected, and he receives a 50% rating for his migraine headaches. The hearing loss and GERD issues are remanded.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are currently rated at 30 percent, effective July 29, 2008. The Veteran's left facial nerve paresthesia is not manifested by moderate incomplete paralysis of a cranial nerve and thus does not warrant a higher rating. The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case to schedule a VA examination for the Veteran's left upper extremity radiculopathy and to issue a Statement of the Case on all issues found denied in the July 2012 and October 2012 rating decisions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of a head injury and headaches, finding that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the claim. The Veteran's current headaches were found not due to an in-service event or disease.

The Veteran's tinnitus is service connected, and his maxillary sinusitis and dermatitis are each rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic headaches as secondary to an in-service head injury is being remanded due to scheduling issues.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus may be related to an in-service metabolic syndrome, but the current claim is intertwined with his metabolic syndrome claim. The Board lacks jurisdiction over the metabolic syndrome claim and remands for issuance of a Statement of the Case (SOC).

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the evidence does not support a grant of service connection for COPD, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, diabetes mellitus, or head injury. The Veteran is entitled to increased evaluations for focal pain syndrome with severe migraine headaches and post-traumatic scar of the left forehead.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bronchitis, allergic rhinitis, GERD, and TBI were denied. Service connection was granted for cervical spine disability with a 10% rating effective July 16, 2009, and lumbar spine disability with a 10% rating prior to November 28, 2011, and a 20% rating thereafter.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current headache disorder, diagnosed as migraine headaches, is not due to military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for residuals of a nose injury, to include headaches, was denied as the evidence did not show that his migraine headaches with characteristic prostrating attacks occurred on an average of once a month over the last several months.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including heart disorder, diabetes mellitus, fibromyalgia, depression, arthritis of the shoulders, hands, and hips, memory loss (small vessel brain disease), headaches, macular degeneration, dry eyes, and flat feet have been denied. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions are related to service or manifest within one year of separation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches is being remanded due to the need for a clarification of the VA examiner's opinion and additional medical records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for further development of his service connection claims.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claim of service connection for headaches, but finds that there is no evidence to support a finding that his current migraine condition is related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for right knee, left shoulder, low back, and urinary disabilities. Service connection is granted for right knee degenerative joint disease. The claims of service connection for residuals of an appendectomy, a disability manifested by headaches and dizziness, and a skin disability manifested by jock itch are not reopened.

The Veteran's back disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and his migraines are also rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board has granted the initial evaluations for both conditions.