Migraines & headaches decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.,The Veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions, including a lumbar disorder, dental disorders, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression, insomnia, and anxiety), headaches, and dry eye syndrome.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development due to the addition of relevant VA examination reports and treatment records after previous statements of the case were issued.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of May 11, 2013 for the awards of service connection for various conditions including PTSD and major depressive disorder with TBI residuals, migraine headaches, left knee osteoarthritis with chondromalacia patella, right knee osteoarthritis with chondromalacia patella, thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, tinnitus, and scars of the bilateral knees, left calf (other impairment).

The Board has found that additional development is needed for the issues of increased evaluations for migraine headaches, PTSD and MDD, and TDIU. The Veteran's representative argues for a new examination due to inconsistencies in the June 2022 VA examination report.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a recurrent headache disability is being remanded due to the receipt of additional VA clinical documentation that has not been reviewed by the Agency of Original Jurisdiction.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection and rating for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, headaches, PTSD, OSA with asthma, patellar tendinitis, left ankle strain, and tinnitus. The AOJ is instructed to review all relevant evidence and issue a SSOC.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and an initial compensable rating for migraine headaches. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not supported by the evidence, and her symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines is remanded due to the lack of a nexus opinion and need for further examination.

The Veteran's sinusitis with headaches has been rated at 30 percent since July 31, 2014. The Board found that the evidence does not support a higher rating as there were no episodes of sinusitis requiring bed rest and treatment by a physician.

The Board has remanded all service connection claims for the Veteran's claimed conditions, including hyperlipidemia, temporal arteritis and giant cell arteritis with elevated sedimentation rate, headaches, coronary artery disease, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and eye disease. The appeal is based on exposure to aviation fuel during service.

The Veteran's tension headaches are rated at the maximum allowable under VA guidelines, and he is granted a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with the directives of a previous remand, specifically regarding obtaining service treatment records from March 1987 to April 1987. The claim is being remanded for these records to be obtained and associated with the claims file.

The Veteran's service-connected endometriosis and migraine headaches prevented her from securing and maintaining a substantially gainful occupation during the specified periods, resulting in a TDIU for those times.

The Veteran's appeals for a compensable initial rating for right ear hearing loss and service connection for left ear hearing loss have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal. The Board has also remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for a thoracolumbar spine condition, bilateral lower extremity recalcitrant sciatica, and migraine headaches.

The Veteran's renal calculi and headaches were granted service connection as they began during their respective periods of active military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and proper documentation of attempts to schedule the Veteran for these exams.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for migraine headaches. However, the initial rating for this period remains remanded due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction (ED) was denied. The claim for service connection for migraines is being remanded due to a failure to provide adequate examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for respiratory condition, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and migraine headaches are remanded due to the need for a TERA-specific examination under the PACT Act.

The Veteran's tension headaches have been rated at 30% since October 2018. The Board has now granted a 50% rating, which is the highest schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 8100 for very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.