Migraines & headaches Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment in light of his education and occupational history.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to noise exposure during active service. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran’s sleep apnea is related to service or proximately due to his service-connected PTSD. The issues of acid reflux, alopecia, diverticulitis, migraines, athlete’s foot of the right foot, athlete’s foot of the left foot, back disability, bilateral hearing loss, chronic bronchitis, hemorrhoids, right foot heel spur, left foot heel spur, right knee disability, left knee disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and pseudofolliculitis barbae are remanded for further examination and consideration.

The appeal for a TDIU is remanded due to the failure to ensure substantial compliance with previous remand directives and consideration of evidence favorable to the Veteran. The Board will need to obtain an updated opinion regarding the collective impact of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities on his ability to function in an occupational environment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of headaches has been reopened and is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's tension headaches are rated at a 30 percent disability rating for the entire period covered by this claim, as they cause severe symptoms and do not result in severe economic inadaptability.

The Veteran's chronic allergic rhinitis and sinusitis are granted a 50% rating, effective from May 20, 2011. The loss of smell is denied as not meeting the criteria for a compensable rating. Headaches prior to November 3, 2015, remain at 30%.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection and effective date claims related to TBI residuals, headache disability, thoracolumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, coronary artery disease, PTSD with depressive disorder, and left eyebrow scar residuals. The issues of increased ratings for coronary artery disease and PTSD with depressive disorder; and entitlement to total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors. The issues of headaches, left foot disability, and tinnitus are being remanded as there were insufficient opinions provided regarding their relationship to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are found to be of such severity that they preclude substantially gainful employment, and the Board grants his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as his timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) in response to the May 2009 rating decision was not filed within one year of the denial.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, an acquired psychological condition (including post-traumatic stress disorder), and a back condition. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for gout, eye disability, asthma, hypertension, stomach disability, TBI, and headaches have been denied. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for TBI and headaches.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims are remanded for additional examinations and evaluations to determine the severity of his service-connected cervical spine, low back, GERD, and headaches. The effective dates for the grants of service connection will be determined based on when a request to reopen was received.

The reduction of the disability rating assigned to the Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches from 30 percent to 10 percent was improper, and a 30 percent disability rating is restored, effective July 1, 2013. The issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected migraine headaches remains on appeal.

The Board denied service connection for migraine headaches and unspecified joint pain and/or insomnia, finding that the evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU on an extra-schedular basis prior to April 2017 is being remanded due to the need to determine if his employment in his family's business constituted substantially gainful employment or marginal employment.

The Board denied service connection for an eating disorder, sleep apnea, diverticulitis, and headache disorders as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disability (MDD/PTSD). The claims were not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's January 1967 claim for service connection for residuals of head injury must be reconsidered. The appeal is remanded for further development and readjudication.

The Veteran's left and right eye disabilities, forehead osteoma, and headaches are all granted service connection. The Veteran's TBI claim is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including coronary artery disorder and head injuries, have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents or direct causation. The Board found that the Veteran did not experience current residuals from acknowledged in-service head injuries.