Migraines & headaches Board decisions

The Veteran's migraine headaches are granted a 50% evaluation from February 1, 2021 to the present. SMC at the housebound rate under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) is granted from February 1, 2021 to the present.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and a respiratory condition (chronic bronchitis/COPD) was granted. The claim for service connection for headaches is pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient clinical findings regarding whether the appellant's conditions are neurobehavioral effects and if they resulted from her residence at Camp Lejeune. The appellant is seeking reimbursement for non-VA medical care related to female infertility and neurobehavioral effects.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, right upper extremity radiculopathy, migraines, left upper extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder slap tear, degenerative arthritis of cervical spine, left knee disability, TBI, tinnitus, asthma, and erectile dysfunction, rendered him unable to obtain and/or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from obtaining and maintaining such employment.

The Board granted an initial rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's tension/migraine headaches prior to July 20, 2017, finding that his symptoms met the criteria for a very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.

The Veteran's cluster headaches have increased in severity, and a new VA examination is needed to assess the current level of disability.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for sleep apnea and migraines due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for epilepsy and migraine headaches, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his active military service.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral upper extremities disabilities and migraines are remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions to address the etiology of her conditions.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has not been received to readjudicate the claims of service connection for lumbar spine disability, headaches, head injury, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypertension. The Veteran's request for additional records was not addressed prior to the decision on appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left and right knee disabilities, as well as his migraine headaches due to a duty-to-assist error in prior decisions. The claims are being remanded for additional examinations to evaluate the current severity of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings on chronic headache disorder, adjustment disorder with disturbance of mood and anxiety, and cervical spine disc disease are being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for headaches, hearing loss, and tinnitus due to a lack of VA examination records from service.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are granted as service connected, with the Board finding that all three elements of a service connection claim (current disability, in-service injury/episode, and link between the two) have been met. The decision is based on the June 2019 VA Report which concluded that the Veteran's current migraine headaches were incurred as a result of his active military service.

The Veteran's PTSD and Migraine Headaches have been granted service connection with initial ratings of 100% effective August 30, 2018. The Veteran is also eligible for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits as of that date.

The Veteran's service-connected adjustment disorder with depressed mood alone does not preclude her from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and therefore the claim for SMC at 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) rate is denied.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection and rating issues related to low back pain, contact dermatitis, migraine headaches, PTSD, sleep apnea, IBS, left ear hearing loss, bilateral knees, and bilateral shoulders as untimely.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for various conditions and rating issues, leading to the dismissal of all related matters.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU from August 1, 2018 to September 9, 2019 due to his service-connected disabilities making him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's headaches are rated at 30 percent effective December 11, 2019. The Veteran's degenerative disc disease L5-S1 is currently rated at 20 percent. Separate ratings of 20 percent each are granted for left and right lower extremity radiculopathies.