Migraines & headaches decisions — 2023

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude her from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, and the Board denies entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's ratings for Traumatic Brain Injury and Migraine Headaches were improperly reduced, and the original ratings of 70% and 50%, respectively, are restored.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for migraine headaches, a stomach condition, and obstructive sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions addressing whether these conditions were aggravated by her military service.

The Board denied service connection for a skin condition of the right lower extremity and TBI, finding no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran is granted an earlier effective date of October 1, 2014 for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to her service-connected mental health disability.

The Board has remanded the cases of Meniere's disease and migraine headaches due to insufficient opinions from previous VA examiners. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which are currently being reviewed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and tension headaches have been granted, effective June 23, 2016. The appeals are dismissed as moot because the benefits sought on appeal have already been granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence and legal changes, including a presumption of exposure to burn pits under the PACT Act.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including unspecified depressive disorder), symptoms attributable to alcoholism, left and right knee conditions, sleep disorder, colloid cyst, and migraines. The Veteran's statements and medical records are considered in determining the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a current disability related to service.,The Veteran's service connection claim for migraine headaches is remanded due to inadequate reasoning and lack of consideration of lay statements regarding increase in severity and continuity.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for post-hydrocelectomy hydrocele, lumbar spine disabilities from May 29, 2018 and January 29, 2020 are remanded due to inadequate reasoning and failure to consider evidence of worsening since the last examination.,The Veteran's service connection claim for migraine headaches is denied as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a current disability related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, hypertension, and headaches are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the service connection issues.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are found to be aggravated by his service-connected cervical spine disability, and thus he is granted service connection for this condition on a secondary basis.

The Board has already granted a 50 percent rating for migraine-like headaches effective January 16, 2016. The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date is dismissed as there is no longer a case or controversy.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 100 percent from February 29, 2012. The RO denied entitlement to a TDIU prior to February 29, 2012, or based on a single service-connected disability.

The Board has found the previous medical opinion inadequate and requires another addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's headaches are proximately due to her service-connected obstructive sleep apnea or aggravated by it.

The Board has granted the reopening of the Veteran's service connection claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a chronic headache disorder, finding that new evidence supports these claims. The acquired psychiatric disorder is deemed to be due to active service, while the chronic headache disorder is also found to have begun during service.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for migraine including migraine variants prior to July 27, 2011 was denied. However, the Veteran received a 50 percent evaluation from July 27, 2011 to December 8, 2021.,The decision also noted that the Veteran's migraines improved with medication and were not as severe without it.

The Veteran's tension headaches were rated at a noncompensable level prior to May 10, 2018. As of that date, the Veteran was granted a 50 percent disability rating for his tension headaches.,For degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, the Veteran received a 30 percent disability rating from May 20, 2020 onwards. Prior to this date, he did not receive any higher ratings.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for migraine headaches, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity due to inadequate examinations in June 2020. The VA is instructed to obtain new VA examinations addressing the Veteran's complaints and provide her with a copy of the examiner's curriculum vitae.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches is granted.