The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a headache disability as secondary to his service-connected hypertension or hypertension medication, finding no evidence that the headaches were caused by or aggravated by these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided opinions stating there was no link between the Veteran's hypertension and his headaches, except in the case of malignant hypertension which did not apply to the Veteran. The examiner also stated that pain typically raised blood pressure, not the other way around, and there was no evidence to show that the medications significantly worsened the Veteran's headache disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Headache
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 9, 2017
- Citation
- 1751597
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 1751597.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found new and relevant evidence to readjudicate the claim for service connection for a headache disability. The case is being remanded for further review.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected headache disability is remanded due to the lack of a proper VA examination, which may have influenced the initial decision.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's headache disability, finding that his headaches began in service and resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Multiple Sclerosis, a headache disability as secondary to service-connected MS, and an eye disability as secondary to service-connected MS. The Veteran's current diagnoses of these conditions are supported by medical evidence, and the Board finds that they are related to her service-connected MS.
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