Migraines & headaches decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine disorder, right leg disorder, left leg disorder, and headaches due to inadequate VA opinions. The Veteran is required to provide additional evidence or explanations.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's headaches are related to his service-connected major depressive disorder. The case will be returned for further examination and a new opinion.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his chronic headaches, thoracolumbar spine DDD, and lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted. The specific rating assigned varies based on the date of onset or progression of each condition.

The Veteran's migraine headaches were rated at a noncompensable level prior to October 10, 2014. From that date onward, the Veteran is entitled to a rating of 30 percent for his migraines.,For left shoulder tendonitis, the Veteran was initially granted a 20 percent rating and remains at this level.

The Veteran's right hip osteoarthritis was granted service connection and an effective date of the grant is set.,An effective date prior to February 5, 2018 for the grant of service connection for tension headaches is denied. The Veteran submitted a formal claim on April 27, 2018.,The Veteran's initial claims for left ear hearing loss and back disability are remanded as his current level or nature of these disabilities may not be reflective of the evidence of record.,The Veteran's neck disability is also remanded as his current level or nature of this disability may not be reflective of the evidence of record.,The Veteran's initial claim for tension headaches is remanded as his current level or nature of this disability may not be reflective of the evidence of record.

Your claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction and a higher rating for headaches have been dismissed as the Board has already considered these issues in your previous decisions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, headaches, and obstructive sleep apnea due to incomplete medical opinions and lack of compliance with prior remand directives. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, migraine headaches, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to deficiencies in the examination reports and lack of clarity regarding the criteria used by the examiners.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including low back pain, PTSD, headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic sinusitis, dermatitis, gall bladder removal, and GERD. The appeals are currently pending.

The Veteran's headaches are rated at 30% and denied an increased rating.,Prior to October 7, 2019, the Veteran was not found unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

Service connection granted for a headache disorder, obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected respiratory disorder, and generalized fatigue as secondary to service-connected obstructive sleep apnea.,The Veteran's respiratory disorder required daily use of immunosuppressive medications during the entire rating period on appeal.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a TDIU is denied because the earliest date at which it can be said he was unemployable solely due to service-connected disabilities is August 9, 2010.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,An initial 10 percent rating for migraine headaches prior to May 2, 2019 is granted. A rating higher than 30 percent for migraine headaches from May 2, 2019 is denied.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's migraines warrant a remand for further evaluation and treatment records, as his condition has worsened since his last examination.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to in-service acoustic noise exposure.,The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to in-service acoustic noise exposure.,The Veteran's headache disorder is found to be related to service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to conflicting evidence regarding the nature and extent of the Veteran's TBI residuals, as well as the interrelated nature of his tension headaches with his TBI.

The Veteran's initial ratings for Traumatic Brain Injury, Loss of Sense of Smell, and Headaches have been denied by the Board. The Veteran is not entitled to higher ratings based on his TBI residuals, loss of sense of smell, or headaches.

The Board has determined that the remand is necessary to obtain updated VA treatment records and to provide a new examination to address the Veteran's claims for service connection of headaches, including migraine and tension headaches. The examiner will need to determine if the Veteran's headaches are related to his military service, whether they were caused or aggravated by PTSD or sleep apnea, and if they preexisted service.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the inadequacies of the December 2019 VA examiner's opinion, specifically regarding the Veteran's exposure to hazardous noise during service and his assertion that he experienced different types of headaches post-service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches, finding that there is no direct evidence linking his current condition to his active duty service or a service-connected disability. The Board also found insufficient evidence to support a secondary service connection based on his service-connected Hepatitis C.