Migraines & headaches decisions — 2026

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional evaluations and opinions regarding his migraine headaches, degenerative arthritis of the spine, and TDIU.

The Veteran is granted an effective date of June 22, 2019 for the award of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for headaches/migraines, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a low back condition, a right knee condition, a left knee condition, and bilateral pes planus due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The other issues have been granted.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted a 50% rating effective June 23, 2023. The Veteran's migraines were granted a 10% rating effective May 19, 2021.

The Board has dismissed all appealed issues related to effective dates, including those for TBI, tinnitus, tension headaches, bilateral eye disability, psychiatric disability, hypertension, and right knee disability.

The Veteran's service connection claims for BPH, headaches, cervical strain, left upper and right upper extremity radiculopathy have been granted. A separate 40 percent rating has been assigned for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as she withdrew her request for a hearing and the appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for migraine headaches is granted, with a rating of 50% effective July 10, 2024. The decision also acknowledges that the Veteran has continuously pursued this claim since June 29, 2023.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain, left ankle disability, folliculitis barbae, migraines, and tinnitus are all found to be related to service.

The Veteran's effective date for a 50 percent disability rating for headaches and the establishment of entitlement to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) is granted as August 21, 2019.

The Veteran is granted an effective date of March 14, 2018 for the grant of service connection for PTSD.,Service connection for left shoulder disability was granted on May 14, 2019 with a rating of 100% from November 2, 2018.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The AOJ is instructed to provide the Veteran with notice of his right to a hearing, schedule him for examinations regarding his headaches and watery eyes, and determine whether he has functional ankylosis of the spine.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of consideration of new evidence and an inadequate opinion regarding the pre-existence and aggravation of migraine headaches.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for headaches is remanded due to the need for additional personnel and treatment records from his first two periods of active duty under his former name, as well as a new TERA memorandum considering potential garrison exposures.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is not being readjudicated as there was no new and relevant evidence submitted since the January 2025 rating decision.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines will be readjudicated due to the submission of a new private medical opinion that addresses the relationship between her current condition and a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to March 3, 2023. The decision found that there were no pending or unadjudicated claims for TDIU or increased ratings prior to March 3, 2023.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hip strain and migraines, finding that the Veteran's conditions were incurred or caused by in-service events. For bilateral hip strain, a VA examiner concluded it was at least as likely as not incurred during active duty. For migraines, a VA examiner found them to be at least as likely as not caused by toxic exposure risk activities (TERA) during service.

The Veteran's migraine headache disorder is granted a disability rating of 30 percent prior to May 16, 2023.,The Veteran's migraine headache disorder is granted a disability rating of 50 percent from May 16, 2023.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, headache disorder, and stroke residuals are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The AOJ needs to determine if the Veteran participated in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) during his honorable period of active service from March 1982 to September 1985 and obtain VA examinations for hypertension, stroke residuals, and headaches.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for compensable evaluations for allergic rhinitis and tension headaches should be remanded due to a failure to notify him of his right to a hearing.