The Board has restored service connection for cluster headaches and trigeminal neuralgia, effective April 16, 2009 and October 23, 2008 respectively. The appellant's cluster headaches occur at a rate in excess of 3 times a month and cause marked interference with his employment.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the appellant's cluster headaches and trigeminal neuralgia were likely related to an inservice head injury sustained when he was hit by a tail hook, which resulted in left cheek bone damage and below his left eye. The recent medical opinions supported this finding.
- Claimed conditions
- Paralysis of the seventh (facial) cranial nerve, Paralysis of the ninth (glossopharyngeal) cranial nerve, Paralysis of the eleventh (spinal accessory; external branch) cranial nerve, Paralysis of the twelfth (hypoglossial) cranial nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- July 15, 2014
- Citation
- 1431695
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 1431695.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 70 percent for the acquired psychiatric disability, effective from April 24, 2012. The Veteran's spasmodic torticollis was rated as noncompensable. TDIU was also granted.
- Denied
The Board has determined that there is no evidence of facial paralysis and the veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for his seventh cranial nerve condition is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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