Migraines & headaches decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for service connection for migraine/tension headaches, right foot/heel condition, and lumbosacral strain to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board remands the claims for a compensable rating for migraine headaches, an increased rating for thoracolumbar spine strain, and an increased rating for unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder to ensure compliance with VA's duty to assist.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, headaches, erectile dysfunction, and hypertension as secondary to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to an inadequate VA examination and opinion.

The Board remands all claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error and the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea and a back disability, both on a direct basis. The Veteran was also granted an initial 10 percent rating for migraines from January 31, 2023.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of August 24, 1992, for the grant of service connection for headaches based on newly received service department records.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of headaches, to include migraines, due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.

The Board denied service connection for arthritis, degenerative disc disease, headaches/chronic migraines, and chronic joint pain as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis. The claims for bronchitis, lungs and chest burns, and hypertension are remanded due to the Veteran's participation in toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) and an indication of an association between the claimed disabilities and TERA.

The Board remands all service connection claims for further development, including making efforts to obtain VA treatment records from the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas.

The Board denied service connection for lumbosacral strain and myofascitis, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine (claimed as bulging disc C3-C4 and C5-C6), an increased rating for gastroesophageal reflux disease, bilateral hearing loss, headaches, and allergic rhinitis. The Board also denied earlier effective dates for these conditions.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for tension headaches to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding its etiology, specifically addressing whether it is related to the Veteran's service or his service-connected lumbar disc injury.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for migraines to correct a duty to assist error, requiring a new examination that addresses whether the claimed migraines are associated with active service and/or aggravated by service-connected tinnitus.

The appeal for eligibility for benefits under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA's) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers is remanded due to an AOJ error in satisfying a regulatory and statutory duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss, as well as his claims for service connection for a disability manifested by the loss of sense of smell, chronic headaches, and bilateral foot disability.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's improper election of a higher-level review while another pending appeal on the same issue remained.

The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with alcohol use disorder, but denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

The Board restored the 30% disability rating for migraine headaches and denied an increased rating. Sleep apnea was granted as secondary to PTSD.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including atrial fibrillation and irritable bowel syndrome, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not scheduling VA examinations when the Veteran was available.

The Board remands the claims for a left hip disability and a migraine headache disability to obtain additional medical opinions.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death.