Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board found no evidence of a head injury during service and ruled out current residuals of any presumed in-service head injury. The Veteran's headaches are more likely due to sub-occipital neuralgia, from neck and shoulder injuries.

The deciding factor: VA medical examinations ruled out current residuals of an in-service head injury and diagnosed the Veteran's headaches as secondary to sub-occipital neuralgia.

Claimed conditions
chronic disability manifested by recurrent headaches
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
September 3, 2009
Citation
0933277

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 0933277.

What this means for you

A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.

What you can do next

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.