The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for cluster headaches on an extraschedular basis, finding that his symptoms were not marked enough to interfere with employment beyond severe economic inadaptability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that while the Veteran's headaches caused significant interference with work flow and required him to leave his workstation multiple times per month, he was still able to maintain flex time at his job without missing full days of work. This did not meet the criteria for marked interference with employment as contemplated by the 50 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Cluster Headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- June 1, 2015
- Citation
- 1523025
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 1523025.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sinusitis and irritable bowel syndrome, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. Other claims were either denied or remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for GERD and a 50 percent evaluation for cluster headaches, but denied an increased rating for right foot plantar fasciitis. The Veteran was also granted a 10 percent evaluation for external hemorrhoids effective May 19, 2024.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected cluster headaches have been rated at 50 percent since March 14, 2011. The Board affirms this rating based on the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his ability to work.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected cluster headaches is being remanded due to insufficient medical opinions. The Board will seek new medical opinions without considering the ameliorative effects of medication.
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