The Veteran's migraine headaches have been granted service connection with an effective date of March 21, 1996. The Board also found that the Veteran has other disabilities for which he is already receiving service connection.,Service connection was established for sleep apnea and major depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's migraine headaches were previously unadjudicated until a November 2013 rating decision, at which point they were granted service connection with an effective date of March 21, 1996. The earlier effective date is based on the fact that the Veteran submitted a formal application for compensation related to his migraine headaches in March 1996.,Service connection was established for sleep apnea and major depressive disorder as these conditions are proximately due to service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Eczema (claimed as skin rash), Major depressive disorder, Medically unexplained illness also claimed as chronic fevers due to an undiagnosed illness, Restless leg syndrome due to an undiagnosed illness, Restrictive lung disease due to an undiagnosed illness, Sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19114914
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,549 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19114914.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder does not render him in need of regular aid and attendance or confined to his home, thus SMC based on housebound status and/or need for regular aid and attendance is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to insufficient evidence of record. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the (o) rate and SMC at the (r)(2) rate, effective January 19, 2025. The decision finds that the Veteran's service-connected conditions warrant these awards due to his need for aid and attendance.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder, as secondary to his already service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus.
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