Migraines & headaches decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that the VA examinations need to be scheduled in order to determine if the Veteran's migraine headaches, occipital neuralgia, and neurological condition including seizures are related to service.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU rating from March 27, 2009 to October 17, 2016 for his service-connected posttraumatic headaches and TBI residuals.

The Board has granted service connection for back disability, allergies, sinusitis, headaches, sleep apnea, and COPD. The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is also found to be related to his now service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to the promulgation of a decision.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches and right knee limitation of flexion, but denied service connection for hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), an acquired psychiatric disorder, and sinusitis. The claims for these conditions are considered to be reopened due to the submission of new evidence.

The Veteran's initial claim for post-traumatic headaches was denied, and the RO granted service connection with a non-compensable rating. The Veteran appealed this decision, and the RO increased the evaluation to 30 percent from March 9, 2020. However, the Board has determined that the Veteran cannot receive a higher evaluation for post-traumatic headaches at any point during the appeal period.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for her service-connected migraines including migraine variants is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are currently rated at 50 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating allowed under VA regulations. The Board denied his claims for a higher rating and eligibility for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grant.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new evidence being received after a Supplemental Statement of the Case was issued. The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for headaches associated with sinusitis from August 1, 2018 is on appeal and so are issues regarding whether the reduction in his rating from 30 percent to noncompensable was proper.

The appeal to reopen a claim of service connection for PTSD is denied.,The appeal to reopen a claim of service connection for migraine headaches is granted. Entitlement to service connection for migraine headaches is granted.

The Veteran's appeal for increased evaluations of her service-connected radiculopathy and migraine headaches is remanded due to ambiguity in the medical evidence regarding physical manifestations and their impact on disability ratings.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain, right knee tendonitis, left knee tendonitis, chest wall muscle strain, and tension headaches are being remanded for additional examinations to assess their current severity.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including migraine headaches, left and right shoulder strains, anxiety disorder, tinnitus, and hearing loss, are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability as defined by regulation. The Board has granted total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the claims for a heart disability due to insufficient evidence regarding its relationship to service. The Veteran's other conditions, including sleep apnea and respiratory issues, are granted as secondary to his PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, chronic headache disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and bilateral eye disability due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service or exposure to contaminated water.

The Veteran's claims for service connection related to various conditions have been reopened, with the effective date of the award being May 17, 2016. The rating for migraine headaches has been increased to 30 percent prior to April 25, 2018, and denied thereafter.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to March 13, 2017 for a 50 percent rating for headaches with photophobia is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's reports at the March 2017 VA examination indicate equally severe headache symptoms in January 2017 as they were in March 2017.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed headaches and their relationship to service, PTSD, or other conditions. The VA will need to obtain updated treatment records and provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's headaches are related to her service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, anxiety disorder and depression was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection for PTSD is now granted with an effective date of July 29, 2014.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for ischemic heart disease and service connection for migraine headaches due to the need for further examination and consideration of new VA criteria.