The Board has restored the original rating of 30 percent for service-connected tension headaches, effective May 19, 2016. The claims for increased ratings for back disability and right great toe disability are remanded.
The deciding factor: The reduction in the disability rating for tension headaches was improper due to failure to comply with regulatory requirements.
- Claimed conditions
- Tension Headaches, Lumbosacral Strain with Bilateral Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction (Back Disability), Degenerative Joint Disease of the Right Great Toe (Right Great Toe Disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19139724
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,350 · Granted: 26% (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 19139724.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD rating was reduced from 70 percent to 50 percent, effective February 20, 2025. The Board finds the reduction improper and restores the 70 percent disability rating for PTSD.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted SMC at the rate of 50% for his service-connected conditions from April 20, 2020 to June 7, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection and earlier effective dates for tension headaches and lower back condition. The remaining issues of service connection for eye, neck, persistent cough, TBI residuals, and bilateral leg conditions are REMANDED.
- Granted
The Veteran's tension headaches are rated at a 10% disability rating, effective from the date of the June 2020 decision. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable.
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