Migraines & headaches Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a disability of service origin manifested by headaches and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's symptoms involving headaches, lack of energy, restlessness, feelings of fatigue, flu-like symptoms, muscle pain, short-term memory loss, vertigo, and loss of strength of the upper extremities have been attributed to a known clinical diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. The Board has denied service connection on a presumptive basis as these symptoms are not due to an undiagnosed illness related to his service in Southwest Asia during the Persian Gulf War.

The Board denied increased ratings for the appellant's vascular headaches and major depression, but confirmed a 50 percent evaluation for her service-connected mental condition. The appeal was not about service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for hypertension and irritable colon syndrome, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under either the old or new VA rating criteria.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the preponderance of the evidence is against the claims for a compensable disability rating for allergic rhinitis and headaches.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of headaches and increased ratings for his right thigh, left eye, left upper arm, and right hand disabilities. The headaches were not found to be caused by a service-connected disability. The right thigh disability was rated as moderately severe, but no higher rating is granted due to lack of aggravation. The left eye and left upper arm disabilities are both rated at 10 percent. The right hand disability does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and an increased rating for allergic rhinitis, as well as his claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for residuals of a fracture of the left lower extremity (including disability of the left ankle, left foot, left hip, and back, and depression). The Board also denied his total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities and his waiver of recovery of indebtedness created by overpayment of VA vocational rehabilitation benefits.

The Board assigned an effective date of September 28, 1988 for a 30 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected migraine headaches with a history of post-concussion headaches. The veteran argued that his headaches should have been rated earlier due to his testimony at an RO hearing in February 1996.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability, maxillary sinusitis/rhinitis, and migraine headaches. The TDIU claim was also denied as the veteran is not precluded from substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the appellant's headaches did not have a direct relationship to his military service, including an incident in 1990 where he was struck with a pool cue. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has found reasonable doubt in both the veteran's claims for service connection and a compensable rating for his service-connected residuals of pulmonary tuberculosis. The veteran is granted service connection for tinnitus, but the Board finds that reasonable doubt also arises as to whether he currently suffers from a chronic pulmonary disability secondary to his service-connected tuberculosis. For the neurological disability claim, reasonable doubt has arisen as to whether it is related to service.

The veteran's headaches are not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected hearing loss, and therefore, he is denied entitlement to service connection for headaches on a secondary basis.

The veteran's initial evaluations for headaches, TMJ syndrome, and carpal tunnel syndrome were granted. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy was denied. The evaluation for TMJ syndrome was increased to 10 percent effective November 16, 1996.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's migraine headaches, which were first noted during his active service and have persisted since then, are considered to have been incurred during service. The claim is granted.

The Board denied service connection for headaches and residuals of a fracture of the right little finger, finding no evidence to support these claims.

The Board has determined that the appellant's lumbar strain warrants a 10 percent rating, but denied reopening of her claim for service connection due to headaches as new and material evidence was not presented. The decision is mixed since one issue was granted (lumbar strain) and another was not (headaches).

The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection of migraine headaches with blackouts, bilateral knee disorder, and low back disorder. The veteran's current conditions are deemed to have been incurred during his military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including migraine headaches, a gynecological disorder, a psychiatric disorder, tinnitus with vertigo, rhinitis, sinusitis, a dermatological disorder defined as acne or eczema vulgaris, and fibromyalgia. The RO also denied an increased disability rating for service-connected joint pain and stiffness of the right hand, right wrist, and both knees, as due to an undiagnosed illness.

The veteran's service-connected post-traumatic headaches are currently rated as noncompensable (zero percent) due to the lack of documented prostrating or migrainous attacks.