The Veteran's headaches are secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The Board finds that the Veteran's left knee and bilateral hip disabilities are secondary to his service-connected low back disability, while his right hand disability is aggravated by combat operations during the Panama conflict.
The deciding factor: Service connection granted on a secondary basis for headaches due to service-connected PTSD. Left knee and bilateral hip disabilities found to be secondary to service-connected low back disability. Right hand disability found to be aggravated in service due to combat operations during the Panama conflict.
- Claimed conditions
- Headaches, Degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral spine, L5-S1 with bilateral spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, Left knee disability, Bilateral hip disability, Residuals of fractures of the right mid tibia and fibula, Right hand disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 10, 2010
- Citation
- 1021581
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 1021581.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hip disability, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- 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.
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