Migraines & headaches decisions — 2023

The Board dismissed the appeals to reopen claims for various disabilities due to the appellant's death.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for headaches associated with post-operative cervical spondylosis due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the condition and the service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lower back condition and headaches due to insufficient information on their etiology. The Veteran is not diagnosed with these conditions, but he contends they are related to his military service.

The Veteran's tension/reoccurring headaches are found to be related to an in-service head injury.,The Veteran's right knee disorder with arthroplasty and total knee replacement is found to be related to a service-connected right knee disorder.,The Veteran's left knee degenerative osteoarthritis is found to be secondary to his service-connected right knee disorder.,The Veteran's right ankle instability is found to be secondary to his service-connected right knee disorder.,The Veteran's left ankle instability is found to be secondary to his service-connected right knee disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including a new VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of her TMJ disorder. The TDIU claim is also deferred pending this development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability was denied, but reopened due to new and material evidence. The claim for migraines was also reopened.,Service connection for migraines has been granted as they are related to the service-connected tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to issues with the receipt of a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) by his representative.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent her from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and therefore the claim for TDIU is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disorder, migraine headaches (secondary to hearing loss and tinnitus), and unspecified depressive disorder. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for further medical examinations and evaluations.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for residuals of a head injury and migraine headaches, as well as the TDIU claim due to incomplete development. The Veteran's statements regarding in-service noise exposure are also noted.

The Board has denied the claim for a compensable disability rating for headaches prior to November 30, 2017 and has remanded the claims of higher initial ratings for right and left sciatic nerve radiculopathy.

The Veteran's headaches are rated at a 30 percent rating, but not higher, from August 28, 2017. The Board found that the Veteran experienced migraine headaches with characteristics of prostrating attacks occurring at least once a month during the appeal period.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection claims have been dismissed due to the grant of maximum schedular rating for headaches. The remaining issues are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's headache disorder is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional examinations and development due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied due to the belief that he left his most recent job due to a whistleblower complaint. The Board found no evidence of such a claim being made by the Veteran.,The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and a new VA examination is needed to determine its current severity.

The Veteran's service connection claims for a headache disorder, cognitive decline, cervical spine disability, and left upper extremity radiculopathy are granted. However, his claim for bilateral eye disorders is remanded.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including headaches, cervical spine disability, left shoulder disability, right elbow and left elbow disabilities, and back disability. The issues are being remanded to allow for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for migraine headaches has been granted, with an effective date of March 10, 2019. The claims for ratings and effective dates related to left hip strain have been denied.