Migraines & headaches decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for headaches, left foot arthritis, right wrist osteoarthritis, and an upper respiratory disability due to duty-to-assist errors in obtaining adequate medical opinions regarding the onset and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches. Bilateral hearing loss, back disability, hip disabilities (left and right), knee disabilities (right and left), and shoulder disabilities (right and left) are all remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic headaches is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The AOJ needs to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran’s headaches and his service-connected disabilities, including chronic sinusitis, sleep apnea, tinnitus, allergic rhinitis, or pain from other service-connected orthopedic conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities and for TDIU on an extraschedular basis. The case is being returned for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral foot, leg/knee, hip, headache, psychiatric, lumbar spine, and cervical spine disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during service or were related to in-service events.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of headaches and therefore cannot establish service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a blood disorder (thrombocytopenia), left hip pain, right hip pain, and migraines. The claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.,The Veteran was not granted service connection for any of the claimed conditions as there is no evidence showing they began during active service or are otherwise related to in-service injuries or diseases.

The Veteran's migraine disability and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were denied as not service-connected, with the Board finding no credible or probative evidence linking these conditions to her military service or a service-connected condition.,Both the migraine disability and GERD were found to be less likely than not proximately due to or the result of the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient development and lack of medical opinions regarding his conditions.

The Veteran's initial claim for an initial compensable rating for headaches from May 9, 2014 to May 7, 2015 was denied. However, a 10 percent rating for headaches beginning May 8, 2015 was granted.,The Veteran's tinea pedis case is remanded and the TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and has remanded the other issues due to outstanding medical questions.

The Veteran has been unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities since at least April 19, 2010. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence indicates that the Veteran's sinus condition and related headaches have caused him to be bedridden up to two or three times per week and prevented him from working on his back underneath cars throughout the period of schedular eligibility. Therefore, a TDIU is warranted from April 19, 2010.

The Veteran's claim for increases in the ratings for left shoulder strain and tension headaches is denied.,The Veteran’s claims for service connection for bilateral wrist disability and neck disability are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for a headache condition and hypertension, as they were not adequately addressed in previous examinations. The Veteran's headaches may be related to an incident during service, but the examiner did not provide sufficient evidence or opinion regarding this claim. For hypertension, there is no direct evidence linking it to exposure to toxic herbicides.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current headaches and cold sweats are at least as likely as not related to his active service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has dismissed all issues related to service connection and rating for various conditions due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches, sleep apnea, and heart disability are related to service and have assigned a remand for further examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to his failure to appear for scheduled examinations and VA attempts to contact him. The issues include cervical spine disability, CVA/TBI with headaches, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, eye/cataracts disability, skin disability, lung disability, and kidney disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for back, left and right knee disabilities and migraines due to uncertainty regarding his periods of active duty. The VA will obtain all relevant service records and schedule a VA examination to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for Traumatic Brain Injury and Headaches due to additional development being necessary.