The Veteran's claim for service connection of a migraine disorder was denied as there is no evidence linking the condition to his military service, including any claimed microwave exposure. The Board found that the Veteran's migraine disorder is not related to his service-connected lumbar spine disability and concluded that it does not stem from radiation exposure in service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a causal relationship between the Veteran's migraine disorder and either his military service or any service-connected condition, including his lumbar spine disability. The Board also noted that there was no evidence of microwave exposure during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Migraine Disorder, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the Right Foot
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2017
- Citation
- 1748946
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 1748946.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's migraine disorder is currently rated at 50 percent disabling, the highest schedular rating available under DC 8100. The Board has granted a higher disability rating for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims are being remanded for a new examination with a neurologist to evaluate his TBI, psychiatric, and migraine disability symptoms. The earlier effective date and increased rating claims are also being remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the TBI claim.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable initial disability rating for migraine disorder prior to August 10, 2016 due to the lack of ascertainable evidence of characteristic prostrating attacks.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's migraine disorder is not entitled to a compensable evaluation prior to March 22, 2019 and is only rated at 30 percent thereafter. The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis remains rated at 40 percent.,The Veteran's service-connected conditions are being remanded for further development.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.