The Veteran's tension headaches are currently evaluated as noncompensable, and the Board denied entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected tension headaches. The Veteran was also denied TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities not rendering him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tension headaches did not meet the criteria for a 10% or higher rating as they were not productive of characteristic prostrating attacks averaging one in two months over the last several months. The Board found that his headaches were not debilitating enough to prevent him from attending school classes, and he was still able to maintain full-time student status.
- Claimed conditions
- Tension headaches, Thoracolumbar strain (thoracic spine and lumbar spine), Cervical strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19138855
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19138855.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's initial evaluation for tension headaches to include migraines is granted, with a rating of 50 percent effective from May 23, 2023.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for cervical strain, service connection for left leg pain (claimed as joint pain), and service connection for a left ear hearing condition are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for tension and migraine headaches is remanded due to the inadequacy of the September 2020 VA examination report, which did not consider the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's tension headaches, which have been service-connected since the grant of service connection, are found to be very frequent and completely prostrating with prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability. The Board grants an initial 50 percent rating for tension headaches prior to December 1, 2020.
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