The Board denied service connection for headaches, finding that the veteran's headaches are associated with nonservice-connected rhinitis and sinusitis. Service connection was granted for chronic fatigue syndrome (formerly fibromyalgia) and irritable bowel syndrome, but the claims were denied as not meeting the criteria for higher ratings.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's headaches are not service connected because they are associated with nonservice-connected rhinitis and sinusitis. The service-connected conditions of chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome do not meet the criteria for higher evaluations.
- Claimed conditions
- Headaches, Nonservice-connected rhinitis and sinusitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2008
- Citation
- 0839160
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0839160.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for obstructive sleep apnea and headaches, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of persistent daytime hypersomnolence or other manifestations consistent with a compensable disability rating under the criteria established by Diagnostic Codes. The matter is remanded to obtain additional information from the Veteran regarding his headaches and their impact on his daily life.
- Granted
The Veteran's OSA is granted as secondary to PTSD, but his headaches are denied due to lack of service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's headaches, which manifested as very frequent and prolonged attacks causing severe economic inadaptability, are granted a 50 percent disability rating for the entire period on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for a 30 percent disability rating for his service-connected headaches, which was awarded with a noncompensable rating at 0 percent. The Board is remanding the claim due to inadequate examination and the need for a new VA examination to evaluate the severity of the Veteran's headaches without considering the ameliorating effects of any medication.
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