Migraines & headaches decisions — 2016

The Veteran's headaches have been rated as 30 percent disabling since May 25, 2006. The arthritis of the cervical spine has been granted service connection based on a presumption due to its onset during active duty. Bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy is also found to be secondary to the service-connected arthritis of the cervical spine.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, and therefore, his claims for post traumatic headaches, skin disability (including as due to exposure to herbicides), and scar residuals of shell fragment wounds to the left lower extremity are denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his claimed acquired mental disorder, memory problems, and headaches.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service connection claims for various conditions, including respiratory disorders, dysphagia, low back disorders, leg and foot disorders, psychiatric disorders, Dupuytren's contracture of the hands, substance abuse disorder, liver disorder, sleep disorders, and headaches. The appeals are currently remanded due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's tinnitus and headaches are found to be due to the VA treatment he received from 1997 to 2007, specifically the medications prescribed for his hypertension. The Board finds that these outcomes were not reasonably foreseeable.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability warrants a 20 percent rating, effective from the date of her claim in February 2006.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses for several of his claimed conditions, and thus service connection cannot be granted. The claims are denied.

The Veteran's tension headaches have been rated at 30 percent since September 2015, and the Board finds that he meets the criteria for a 50 percent rating throughout the appeal period.

Since February 17, 2008 and throughout the period of the appeal, the service-connected migraine headaches are shown to have been productive of a disability picture that more nearly approximated that of headaches manifested by characteristic prostrating attacks of headache pain that occur more frequently than once per month.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to radiation treatment at a VA facility is denied as there is no credible evidence of such treatment. The application to reopen the claim for service connection for loss of teeth with numbness is also denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing VA examinations to determine the etiology of any diagnosed migraines and acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete development and need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's migraine headaches disability is currently rated at 30 percent, effective from May 28, 2012. The claim for a higher initial evaluation remains denied.

The Veteran's headaches, including tension and migraine headaches, are as likely as not related to her active duty service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and any SSA disability benefits records. The Veteran's claims for service connection will be reconsidered based on this new evidence.

The Board granted the Veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, but denied his request for a rating in excess of 50 percent for migraines and entitlement to TDIU. The decision also noted that the Veteran is entitled to an extraschedular TDIU prior to December 4, 2014.

The Veteran's headaches are not related to active service and are not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted service connection for migraine headaches as aggravated by a service-connected condition (obstructive sleep apnea), but denied direct and secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequacies in the adjudication, including addressing whether his symptoms are manifestations of a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness and obtaining clarifying opinions regarding service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches do not prevent her from engaging in substantially gainful employment.