The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for spina bifida, residuals of a back injury, residuals of a closed head injury, migraine headaches, and cerebrovascular accidents with left hemiplegia (secondary to migraine headaches). The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that the Veteran's current disabilities are not related to his in-service injuries or exposure. They noted that the Veteran did not have any documented head injury during service and that his back disability is more likely due to degenerative changes associated with aging, as well as pathogenic fractures.
- Claimed conditions
- spina bifida, back injury, closed head injury, migraine headaches, cerebrovascular accidents with left hemiplegia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2015
- Citation
- 1521411
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1521411.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to incomplete medical records and insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between service, including a stick injury in England, and current left eye disability (including amblyopia and cataracts) as well as migraine headaches.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's migraine headaches are productive of very frequent, completely prostrating and prolonged attacks capable of producing severe economic inadaptability. The Board has granted a 50 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected migraine headaches was granted with an effective date of February 28, 2023.
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