Migraines & headaches decisions — 2025

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher disability ratings or service connection.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for headache disability, diagnosed as a tension headache, to schedule an additional examination and obtain medical opinions.

The Board granted a 10 percent rating for tension headaches from June 15, 2024, and denied a compensable rating for traumatic brain injury.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic sinusitis, bilateral hand tremors, and bilateral restless leg syndrome. The Board also granted an increased rating of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board granted service connection for headaches, right and left heel pain, and a lumbar spine disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine C5 fracture residuals. The claims for ratings in excess of 20 percent for upper extremity radiculopathy were denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and higher ratings, except for restoring a 30 percent disability rating for right knee strain and a 20 percent disability rating for left knee strain.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain and migraine headaches, finding that the evidence supports a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board granted service connection for migraines as secondary to the service-connected depressive disorder.

The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected migraines, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for malaria due to missing evidence and incomplete medical opinions.

The Board granted an effective date of December 21, 2021, for the award of a 10 percent rating for GERD and remanded other issues related to GERD, PTSD, and service connection.

The Board remands the claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent prior to October 5, 2022, for a headache disability due to a duty to assist error.

The Board remands the case for an additional VA examination to assess the severity and manifestations of the Veteran's service-connected tension headaches.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for decompensating esophoria without diplopia and migraine headaches, including migraine variants (secondary to decompensating esophoria without diplopia), as an adequate medical opinion was not obtained.

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for the Veteran's service-connected TBI and remanded the claim for service connection for headaches, to include as secondary to service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for migraines, finding the evidence to be approximately evenly balanced that the Veteran's migraines were caused by in-service exposures.

The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for the Veteran's migraines, finding that the evidence more nearly approximates the criteria for a higher rating than not.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for migraines as the evidence did not show very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.

The Board remands the claim for an initial increased disability rating in excess of 30 percent for migraines due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board granted eligibility for attorney's fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a November 2024 rating decision for an increased initial rating of 50 percent for the service-connected headache disability.

The Board granted an effective date of January 12, 2022, for the award of a 50 percent initial disability rating for an unspecified headache disability.