Migraines & headaches decisions — 2014

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of her appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining SSA disability records and private treatment records from Sacramento, California. The Veteran's right ankle and low back disabilities are also being examined to determine their relationship to service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been withdrawn. The Board has determined that the Veteran's GERD with IBS warrants a 30 percent rating throughout the appeal period, but no higher.

The Veteran seeks service connection for various symptoms, including diarrhea, headaches, lightheadedness, confusion or disorientation, memory loss, muscle and joint pain or arthralgia, and fatigue. The appeal is currently remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing evidence and a need for additional VA examinations. The Veteran's neck disability, including radiculopathy symptoms in the upper extremities, and head injury residuals are on appeal.

The Board has denied the claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, low back disability, headache disorder, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss disability as there is no current evidence of these conditions. The appellant failed to report for multiple scheduled VA examinations.

The Veteran's post-traumatic headaches resulted in very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability, warranting a 50% rating.

The Veteran's atypical migraines were granted a 30% rating effective November 4, 2013. His cervical strain was denied any increase in rating, and his right foot plantar fasciitis received a 20% rating.

The Veteran's chronic vascular headaches are rated at 30 percent from November 30, 2009 to January 1, 2014 and at 50 percent thereafter. Migraine headaches are not service-connected.

The Veteran's migraine headaches were initially rated as noncompensable but later increased to 30 percent. The claims for service connection of a psychiatric disorder, bladder disorder, and uterine prolapse were granted.

The Board has granted service connection for reactive airway disease and migraine headaches, finding that these conditions began during the Veteran's military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new examination is required to determine if the Veteran's headaches are related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical spine condition is not related to service, and his headaches have worsened over time. Therefore, service connection for a cervical spine disability is denied, while an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for migraine headaches remains unchanged.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for migraine headaches is being remanded due to the submission of new evidence, and a VA examination is needed to determine if his current migraines are related to in-service exposure to loud cannon blasts.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's conditions of failed craniotomy with skull deformity, headaches, benign positional vertigo, and diplopia are related to his active duty service from March 2003 to March 2004. The preexisting conditions were aggravated during this period.

The Veteran's posttraumatic headaches were rated at 10 percent prior to October 23, 2008 and increased to 50 percent on and from that date.,Memory loss associated with TBI was separately rated as a residual of the injury.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for headaches is granted, subject to the laws and regulations governing the payment of monetary benefits. The claim for a higher initial rating for his headaches remains pending.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were granted in January 2013. The claim for chronic headaches remains pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are too numerous and severe to identify a feasible vocational goal, leading to the denial of his VR&E benefits.