Migraines & headaches decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for service connection of migraine headaches was granted effective February 24, 2000. The decision is based on new and material evidence received within one year of the August 2001 rating decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's migraine headaches are related to his service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 50 percent for migraine headaches, effective May 2, 2018. The Veteran's symptoms have been severe enough to meet the criteria for a 50 percent disability rating since that date.

The Board has denied service connection for migraine headaches and neuropathy of the left sciatic nerve as secondary to a lower back disability. The Veteran's claims for left foot and right foot disabilities, as well as his lower back disability, are remanded for further examination and opinion.,Service connection cannot be established for migraine headaches or neuropathy of the left sciatic nerve due to lack of evidence of current diagnoses.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of left ankle, thoracic spine, right foot, headache, chest and sleep disturbance disabilities have been reopened. The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen these claims.,However, the claims are being remanded as further examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of each disability.

The Board has found that further development of the record is necessary due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for IBS, GERD, and a chronic headache disability. The Veteran's claims are being remanded for additional evaluations.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's headache disability, which was not adequately characterized in previous examinations. The Veteran contends that his headaches began after a tooth extraction during service.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for cervical spine disability and his TDIU claim have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to functional loss, and the Veteran was deemed capable of securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus. The remaining issues (back disability, left knee and right shoulder disabilities, bilateral foot disorder, and headaches) are remanded due to insufficient evidence or need for further development.

The Board has ordered additional development for the Veteran's PTSD and post-traumatic migraine headaches, as well as a comprehensive assessment of his employability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings and TDIU are remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records related to his headaches.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for ataxia and migraine headaches due to outstanding treatment records from North County Neurology and Watertown Neurology.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and further development is needed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a head injury, including seizures and headaches, as well as his claim for an increased rating for right eye diplopia. The issues are being returned to VA for further review due to inadequate examination and insufficient reasoning in previous decisions.

The Veteran was found to be unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities from November 25, 2008 to September 10, 2019. The Board granted a TDIU based on the combined effect of multiple service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches, but has remanded the issues of service connection for diabetes mellitus and a cardiac disorder due to potential exposure to an unknown chemical during service.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are rated at a maximum of 50 percent, which represents the highest schedular rating available. The cervical and thoracolumbar strain issues have been remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for her service-connected headaches and migraines is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA examination scheduled by the AOJ was cancelled because of the Veteran's unavailability, so it needs to be rescheduled.

The Board has granted service connection for GERD, sleep apnea, and migraine headaches as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee and ankle conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for sinus headaches is denied. The Board found that the earliest date of receipt of a claim was July 1, 2019.