Migraines & headaches decisions — 2015

The Veteran's headaches, rated at 50 percent since January 6, 2014, are found to be very frequent and severe enough to prevent him from obtaining or maintaining employment.

The Veteran's headaches due to undiagnosed illness are rated at 30 percent prior to February 23, 2009, and at 50 percent beginning February 23, 2009.

The Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities, including severe headaches and postoperative residuals. The Board granted a TDIU rating based on the combined evaluation of these conditions.

The Veteran's migraine headaches have not been manifested by very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability, so a higher rating than 30 percent is denied.

The Veteran has withdrawn all issues on appeal, including service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and Epstein Barr Virus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, right and left knee disorders, a ganglion cyst of the left wrist, a right wrist disorder, and migraine headaches. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions do not meet the criteria for service connection, as they are not shown to be related to his active military service or due to radiation exposure. The claims have been denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's headaches, right ear disabilities, left ear disease, and back disability are service-connected. The effective date for the increased rating of 20 percent for the back disability is set at April 19, 2006.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to December 1, 2004.

The Veteran's migraines were not shown in service or for many years thereafter, and are unrelated to service or to his service in Southwest Asia. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine if he was exposed to commercial herbicides that contained dioxin and other contaminants, which could potentially trigger service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with anxiety is currently rated at 50 percent. The effective date for this rating has been set as November 30, 2007.

The Veteran's service connection claims for GERD and a concussion with headaches have been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches began during his active military service and are related to his service, granting him service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records and attempting to obtain medical records from civilian hospitals. The Veteran's claims for service connection will be reviewed after these developments.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to service connection for various conditions, as well as a claim for an increased disability rating and TDIU. The case is being remanded due to the need for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses at Citrus Memorial Hospital on June 2, 2013 is granted due to the emergency nature of his condition and the unavailability of VA facilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Statement of the Case (SOC) on all issues listed.