Migraines & headaches decisions — 2024

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines as secondary to her service-connected tinnitus.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, so the case is dismissed.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the service connection for headaches before a decision was made by the Board. As a result, the appeal is dismissed.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are rated at 50% from February 5, 2019. The Board found the evidence approximately evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran experienced frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks of headache pain that resulted in severe economic inadaptability during the entire period on appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine condition and right knee strain due to errors in duty-to-assist. The AOJ is required to obtain complete military personnel records, including ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA dates, and any missing service treatment records. Additionally, VA examinations are needed to determine if the Veteran's current conditions began during his service or were caused by a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for migraine headaches, finding that her statements are sufficient to establish service connection in this instance.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for anemia, right knee disability, low back disability, flat feet, and migraine headaches due to insufficient evidence. The claim for service connection for any acquired psychiatric disorder is recharacterized as including schizoaffective disorder.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for unspecified depressive disorder is denied as her symptoms do not more closely approximate the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for migraine headaches is remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Veteran's claims for higher disability ratings for left and right shoulder degenerative arthritis, as well as a rating in excess of 20 percent for intermittent stomach ulcers, are dismissed due to prior Board decisions.,The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for tension headaches is remanded.

The Veteran's TDIU was granted in March 2023, effective November 23, 2022. The decision also granted increased ratings for migraines and lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran is granted TDIU prior to March 3, 2022 due to service-connected PTSD. The claim for TDIU from March 3, 2022 is dismissed as moot.

The Veteran's claims for SMC based on housebound status or the permanent need for aid and attendance were granted prior to November 20, 2020.,SMC was also granted for his wife for the same period.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral eye disability, bilateral hearing loss, type II diabetes mellitus (insulin dependence), bilateral kidney condition, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and acquired psychiatric disability were all denied as there is no persuasive evidence of a current disability during or shortly before the pendency of the claim.,The Veteran's claims for service connection are based on his exposure to hazardous noise in military service. However, the VA examiner found that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability and noted that there was no significant shift in hearing thresholds beyond test variability from the Veteran's entrance to separation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities cause him to require regular aid and attendance to keep him ordinarily clean and presentable, attend to the wants of nature, and protect him from the hazards or dangers incident to his daily environment. The Board finds that the Veteran meets the criteria for SMC A&A.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of chronic headaches is dismissed because the AOJ did not assign a specific effective date and the Veteran did not appeal it.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for an increased rating of 50 percent for chronic headaches is denied as there was no prior application for service connection before April 24, 2018.

The Veteran's service connection claims for migraine headaches, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, congestive heart failure, type II diabetes mellitus, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability have all been denied.,Service connection was not granted as the evidence did not establish a direct or secondary relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for TBI, GERD, headaches, and kidney disability due to a lack of current diagnoses or causal relationship between these conditions and service. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of a TBI, his GERD was diagnosed 12 years after separation from service, and his kidney disability was diagnosed 30 years after separation from service.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of migraine headaches and traumatic brain injury have been denied as there is no evidence of a formal or informal claim filed prior to September 28, 2022.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as the medical evidence did not support a higher rating for his service-connected conditions, including right shoulder DJD, left shoulder DJD, tension headaches, and cyclothymic disorder.