Migraines & headaches decisions — 2026

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions including depression, mental health disorder, TBI, alopecia, headaches, TMJ disorder, insomnia, OSA, conjunctivitis, dry eye disorder, glaucoma, PFB, rhinitis, sinusitis, deviated septum, neck disorder, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, right elbow disorder, left elbow disorder, asthma, hyperthyroid disorder, hives, anemia, DM (diabetes mellitus), heart disorder, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), kidney stones, hiatal hernia, hemorrhoids, right hip/thigh disorder, left hip/thigh disorder, varicose veins, heel spurs, pes planus, bunions, RUE neuropathy, LUE neuropathy, right hand disorder, left hand disorder, back disorder, RLE neuropathy, LLE neuropathy, HTN (hypertension), GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), bladder disorder, ED (erectile dysfunction), prostate disorder, and gout.

The Veteran is granted an earlier effective date of June 24, 2019 for both a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The effective dates are tied due to the grant of TDIU.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension and migraine headaches, as well as the TDIU claim due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's service-connected conditions will be evaluated again, and additional development is required for the TDIU claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for migraine headaches, finding that there is no evidence to support a direct or secondary relationship between his current migraines and his military service or service-connected tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for the grant of a 30 percent evaluation for migraine headaches and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. chapter 35 are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board has found that the Veteran requires personal care services for a minimum of six continuous months based on his inability to perform activities of daily living and need for supervision or protection due to symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment. The VA will now evaluate whether participation in the PCAFC program is in the Veteran's best interest.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for his service connection and increased rating claims, finding that the currently assigned effective dates are based on the date of claim.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance for residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Board found that the Veteran requires regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected TBI, which would necessitate hospitalization or other residential institutional care in the absence of such aid.

The Veteran is granted an initial rating of 50 percent for migraines, effective from May 25, 2018. The Board found the August 2018 VA examination did not accurately reflect the severity of the Veteran's migraines due to medication effects.

The appeal is dismissed as the Veteran did not file a valid Notice of Disagreement and all issues have been addressed in prior decisions.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU based on his combined service-connected disabilities, including back disability, migraines, and depression. The decision finds the Veteran unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has found that new evidence supports the readjudication of the claim for service connection for migraine headaches. The appeal regarding left and right upper extremity radiculopathy is dismissed as the benefit sought on appeal has been fully granted.

The Veteran's migraines are rated at the highest schedular rating of 50 percent, effective January 1, 2020. The Board found that her headaches were very frequent, prostrating, and prolonged, causing severe economic inadaptability.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted a rating of 70 percent, but no higher. The other conditions are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 50% disability rating for service-connected migraine headaches is denied. The Board found no evidence of increased symptoms prior to July 29, 2024.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for migraines including migraine variants associated with tinnitus has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of his case.

The Board has remanded most of the Veteran's claims due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need to obtain additional medical records before readjudicating these cases.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether his falls and resulting disabilities were caused by VA treatment.

The Veteran's TDIU was based on multiple service-connected disabilities, and he does not meet the legal criteria for payment of compensation at the housebound rate under the regulations due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's cervical strain and tension headaches are service-connected. However, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding right upper extremity radiculopathy, the case is being remanded for further action.