The Veteran's chronic headaches, diagnosed as migraines, are related to service and service connection is granted. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his neck condition is remanded.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established based on the Veteran's competent and credible testimony regarding the onset of headaches during service and their recurrence since then.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic headaches (migraines), cervical strain and syrinx with arthritis, stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and intervertebral disc syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 22, 2018
- Citation
- 18143821
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 18143821.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for psoriasis and remanded the claim for service connection for chronic headaches (migraines).
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the remaining issues, including various psychiatric disorders, middle back injury, ankle disabilities, knee disabilities, neuropathies, hearing loss, and headaches.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for fibromyalgia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and chronic headaches (migraines) have been granted with effective dates of June 30, 2020. The Veteran's claims for left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, left knee condition, and right knee condition are being remanded due to procedural issues.,The Veteran's claim for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was denied with an effective date of November 8, 2019. The Veteran's supplemental claim seeking an earlier effective date is dismissed as it was not filed within one year of the initial decision.,The Veteran's claims for chronic headaches (migraines), left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, left knee condition, and right knee condition are being remanded due to procedural issues.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sciatica, back disability, right hip and knee disabilities, cold injury residuals, PTSD, chronic sinusitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, skin disorder of the feet, fibromyalgia, stroke with left-side balance impairment, headaches (migraines), degenerative bone disease, heart disability, muscle pain and soreness, and a left eye disability. The Board found no evidence to support these claims.
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