The Veteran's gastrointestinal, low back pain, and neck pain claims were granted. The Veteran's headaches and bilateral shoulder problems/disability claims were denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established for the Veteran's gastrointestinal disability (diagnosed as eosinophilic esophagitis and gastritis) and low back pain (diagnosed as lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease and lumbosacral strain). The Veteran's headaches were attributed to known clinical diagnoses of migraines and cluster headaches, thus service connection was denied. Service connection for bilateral shoulder problems/disability was also denied.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastrointestinal problems/disability, Headaches, Low back pain, Neck pain, Bilateral shoulder problems/disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2017
- Citation
- 1700742
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 1700742.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for a 30 percent disability rating for his service-connected headaches, which was awarded with a noncompensable rating at 0 percent. The Board is remanding the claim due to inadequate examination and the need for a new VA examination to evaluate the severity of the Veteran's headaches without considering the ameliorating effects of any medication.
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