Migraines & headaches decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions on direct service connection and aggravation. The TDIU claim is also deferred until the other issues are resolved.

The Veteran's headaches are rated at a maximum of 50 percent since April 20, 2022.,An earlier effective date for the grant of this increased rating is not warranted.

The Board has granted the petition to readjudicate this claim of service connection for headaches based on the submission of new and relevant evidence. The AOJ is now required to consider the merits of the claim.

The Board has granted a 50% disability rating for migraines associated with sleep apnea, effective December 28, 2012. The decision finds that the Veteran's symptoms meet the criteria for very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to March 31, 2006.

The Veteran's initial compensable ratings for allergic rhinitis, erectile dysfunction, and hypertension have been denied.,The Veteran's migraine headaches are currently rated as noncompensable prior to October 8, 2020 and denied thereafter.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, thus denying his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has decided that the claim for service connection for hypertensive vascular disease, to include as secondary to service-connected headaches, needs further development and is therefore remanded.

The Veteran's headache disability is granted a 10 percent rating effective April 24, 2023. The neck disability and upper extremity radiculopathy disabilities are each granted an additional 10 percent rating effective September 6, 2022.

The Veteran's service connection for headaches as secondary to his acquired psychiatric disorder is granted. His claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a skin disability, characterized as dissecting cellulitis and hidradenitis suppurativa, is reopened.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left upper extremity, right upper extremity, left lower extremity, and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy; hepatitis C; dizziness; hypersensitivity to light and noise; diarrhea; fainting disability; sinus disability; bronchitis; GERD; headache disability; hypertension; chronic fatigue syndrome; sleep apnea; erectile dysfunction; chest pain disability; and acquired psychiatric disorder. The claims are remanded for the following: obtaining VA treatment records, private treatment records, Social Security Administration records, and completing a TDIU application form; providing adequate VA examinations for sinus, respiratory, GERD, headache, hypertension, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, and chest pain disabilities; and providing an examination to determine if any acquired psychiatric disability is related to service.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed headaches and coronary artery disease, which are secondary to his service-connected hypertension.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected conditions render him in need of aid and attendance, resulting in a grant of SMC at the (l) level.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability as defined by regulation, and the Board has granted TDIU from February 7, 2011, to November 5, 2020.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not show he was completely unemployable.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric condition, headaches, low back condition, and neck condition due to insufficient evidence in their favor. The Veteran is requested to undergo further examinations and provide additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including headaches and bilateral eye condition, are denied as there is no objective evidence of current disabilities. The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is less likely than not caused by military noise exposure.

The Board has found procedural errors and has ordered the Veteran's private medical records, VA treatment records, and service treatment records to be obtained. The claims for service connection are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding private treatment records and a need for clarification regarding the appellant's claimed cervical radiculopathy, headaches, and tinnitus. The issues of service connection remain pending.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for migraine headaches from March 5, 1998 to January 16, 2004 was granted. The Board also granted the Veteran a TDIU based on his service-connected migraine headaches.