Migraines & headaches decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The cases are now remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and attempting to corroborate in-service stressors.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is reopened, and the case is remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding the relationship between her benign snoring syndrome and sleep apnea. The Veteran's Gulf War undiagnosed illness claims are also remanded.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including joint condition, muscle condition, fatigue/weakness, hives, insomnia, asthma, sleep apnea, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), headaches, obsessive compulsive disorder, and depressive disorder, all claimed as due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran's pre-existing migraines existed prior to service and were not aggravated by his service-connected trigeminal neuralgia.

The Veteran's headache disorder is currently rated as noncompensable, but the Board has determined that a 30 percent rating is warranted. The left knee disorder remains at a 10 percent rating. Both issues are being remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic sinusitis and allergic rhinitis have been denied.,The Veteran's applications to reopen the previously denied claims for diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramps, vision disability, hemorrhoids, thyroid disability, laryngitis, tachycardia, migraine, respiratory disorder (bronchial asthma), and a fatty liver and liver cysts have all been denied due to lack of new and material evidence.,The Veteran's applications to reopen the previously denied claims for gastritis, reflux, duodenitis and/or diverticulitis, hiatal hernia, cervical disability, bilateral hand disability, bilateral leg disability, back disability (claimed as radiation of pain to the back and right side of body), left shoulder disability, vesicular disorder of the bilateral leg, gallbladder disability have all been granted due to new and material evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection granted for migraines, with the presumption that they began during service and have continued since then.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a headache disorder, including migraine headaches, is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the June 2018 VA examination and the need for further development.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disorder, headache disorder, and sleep apnea. The decision is based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and rating of his disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations.

The Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches do not meet the schedular requirements for TDIU, but his representative indicated he could only perform marginal work due to his symptoms. The claim is being remanded and referred to VA’s Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple conditions has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for fatigue, headaches, muscle and joint weakness and pain, skin rash, hair loss, and menstrual disorder due to Gulf War exposure. The VA examinations did not address whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's depression is granted as service connected, and an earlier effective date of March 26, 2015 for a 50% rating for migraine headaches is granted.

The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current migraine headaches are related to his service. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's claims for various conditions, including a right lower extremity disorder, headaches, sleep apnea, gout, left knee disorder, right foot disorder, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension (HTN), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have all been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for reopening the claims or establishing service connection for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for Gulf War Syndrome is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service.,The Veteran's claim for numbness and pain of the lower extremities is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service.,The Veteran's claim for fibromyalgia has been reopened due to new and material evidence, but the claim remains denied as there is no established link between the condition and service.,The Veteran's claim for chronic fatigue syndrome has been reopened due to new and material evidence, but the claim remains denied as there is no established link between the condition and service.,The Veteran's claim for headaches (claimed as migraine headaches) has been reopened due to new and material evidence, but the claim remains denied as there is no established link between the condition and service.,The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus has been reopened due to new and material evidence, but the claim remains denied as there is no established link between the condition and service.,The Veteran's claim for a right knee scar has been remanded due to insufficient information regarding its etiology.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder has been reopened, but the evidence does not support a grant of service connection.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, hypertension, and headaches have all been remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for migraine headaches, finding that the Veteran's nearly 26 years of complaints meet the standards for presumptive service connection through continuity of symptomology.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA headache evaluation. The claim for an extraschedular rating for migraine headaches is inextricably intertwined with the TDIU claim.