Migraines & headaches decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction is dismissed. The May 2008 rating decision denying service connection for bronchial asthma is considered final, but the claim has been reopened due to new evidence associated with his second period of active duty. Service connection for bronchial asthma is granted as it preexisted his deployment and was aggravated by events during that time.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a head injury, including cognitive disorder NOS and headaches, is granted. An effective date of April 28, 2011, is assigned for the award of service connection for low back disability.

The Board has granted an initial 10 percent rating for hypertension, but the claims for higher ratings for lumbar spine strain with degenerative joint disease, tension headaches, and primary insomnia are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for headaches, a psychiatric disability (including PTSD), and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD is inextricably intertwined with his headache claim.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are secondary to his service-connected PTSD. However, the remand is needed due to evidence suggesting that his occipital neuralgia may be a separate condition from his migraines.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Traumatic Brain Injury and Migraine Headaches, finding that there was no current diagnosis of a TBI or migraine headaches related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disorder was denied. The appeal is denied as the evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and breathing problems, as well as determining if it is secondary to his service-connected sinusitis, needs further examination and review.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for gastrointestinal disability, migraine headaches, psychiatric disability (including PTSD), rectum disability, and bilateral eye disability due to lack of a medical opinion on their etiology.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a respiratory condition is dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings of his bilateral plantar fasciitis, tension headaches, left knee strain, and right knee strain are dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating of his GERD is remanded.

The Board has granted an initial rating of 10 percent for the Veteran's service-connected tension headaches, effective from February 11, 2013. The decision found that his tension headaches occur frequently with photophobia, phonophobia, and nausea but do not more nearly approximate migraines with characteristic prostrating attacks.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for migraines and other TBI residuals were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating prior to January 9, 2017 or after.,For the period from January 9, 2017 onwards, the highest schedular rating available was 50 percent for migraines and 10 percent for TBI residuals.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, but the Board finds no evidence of total social and occupational impairment. The issues of service connection for various conditions are remanded due to lack of definitive medical records.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are found to have been incurred during service.,His unspecified depressive disorder is determined to be secondary to his service-connected migraine headaches.,Bilateral hearing loss is denied as not related to service.,Back, neck, left knee, and right knee disorders are all denied as not related to service.,Right eye and left eye disorders are also denied as not related to service.,Diabetes mellitus is denied as not related to service.,Peripheral neuropathy in the upper extremities and lower extremities are both denied as not related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to address service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including corroborating in-service stressors and obtaining additional medical records. The Veteran's tinnitus is also being evaluated as a potential aggravation of his acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and TDIU were dismissed due to withdrawal of appeal. The issues of headaches and TDIU are remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches and allergic rhinitis, finding that there is no evidence of a relationship between these conditions and his active service.

Your appeals for service connection for chronic nosebleeds and migraine headaches have been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches is reopened, and the claims for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), deviated septum, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates were denied. The decision also noted that the Veteran's PTSD claim was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.