Migraines & headaches decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service connection claims for migraine headaches and an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression and anxiety) secondary to hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied due to the Veteran's willful misconduct in causing his motor vehicle accident, which resulted in these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for tinnitus has been denied as the condition is already at its maximum schedular rating.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of tinnitus has also been denied, as there was no prior claim within one year of separation from service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for PTSD and migraine headaches have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's migraines are not related to his military service and thus, service connection is denied. The GERD with hiatal hernia, painful joints (claimed as knees and ankles), depression, and PTSD issues have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression and headaches as secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability, lupus, and sleep conditions has been granted. The reduction of the rating for status post left shoulder surgery with residual strain from 10% to noncompensable (zero percent) effective April 1, 2018, was found to be proper due to clear and unmistakable error in assigning duplicate ratings.

The Board denied service connection for back pain, right knee disability, tinnitus, and headaches as the evidence did not support a relationship to service.

The Board denied service connection for redundant penile skin with corrective surgery for hypospadia, headaches, erectile dysfunction, multiple sclerosis, and depression. The decision is mixed as some issues were granted (redundant penile skin) while others were not (headaches, erectile dysfunction, multiple sclerosis, depression).

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were denied. The appeals are not about service connection at all, but rather increased ratings and remand of certain issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches and sleep apnea have been granted. The claims for hypertension and lower back disability are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability and no nexus between any headache symptoms and his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current headache disability and either his active duty service or his service-connected fibromyalgia. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have continuous symptomatology of headaches during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence regarding his thoracolumbar spine disability and a need for clarification on whether he has ever had unfavorable ankylosis. The cervical spine and headaches claims are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, migraine headaches, and TDIU due to incomplete development. The Veteran's personality disorder may have been aggravated by his motor vehicle accident.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations. The issues include headaches, acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), left lower leg disability, gastrointestinal disability, anemia, sinusitis, cervical strain, OSA, left shoulder strain, cervical dysplasia, cellulitis, and a rating in excess of 20 percent for left arm radiculopathy.

The Board denied service connection for a left foot disability, cervical spine disability, Buerger’s disease, constipation, and headaches as the evidence did not support these claims.,Service connection was also denied for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD and primary insomnia.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss disability, and migraine headaches have been granted. The right ankle disability claim has been dismissed, as the Veteran withdrew it from appeal. The acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD claim has also been dismissed. For the entire appeal period, a 50% rating is assigned for migraine headaches.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of PTSD and credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor, leading to a finding of service connection. For the increased rating claim for headache disability, the case is remanded due to insufficient development.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims of service connection for left knee disability, low back pain, and migraines was granted. The Board also remanded the claim for service connection for low back pain due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorder and cervical spine disorder with headaches. The claims are now remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records, military personnel records, and examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension was denied because the evidence did not show a current disability or in-service incurrence. The Veteran appealed, but new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen this claim.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied as there is no link between the condition and service.,The Veteran's cyst disability is rated at 30 percent prior to December 15, 2017. From that date, a higher rating of 50 percent is granted but not higher.,An earlier effective date for headaches prior to December 1, 2005 and an earlier effective date for the increased rating of cyst disability prior to June 5, 2014 are denied.,An earlier effective date for TDIU prior to March 22, 2017 is also denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability is remanded and will be reconsidered.