The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic back condition and chronic headaches was denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,Service connection for the Veteran’s headache disorder was also denied as there is no medical evidence showing that his current headaches are related to his time in Southwest Asia or any other service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's headaches were less likely than not related to his military service, including exposure events. The examiner concluded that the Veteran’s headache disorder is more likely due to a pre-existing Bell's Palsy condition.,There was no evidence linking the Veteran's chronic back condition or headaches to his time in Southwest Asia or any other service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic back condition, chronic headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19145791
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the evaluation in excess of 30 percent for chronic headaches was dismissed by the Veteran prior to the promulgation of a decision.
- Denied
The Veteran's request for higher-level review of the November 2014 rating decision was denied as untimely.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left and right hip strain, left and right ankle pain, and bilateral plantar fasciitis as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disability. The claims for allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, chronic headaches, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and post traumatic residual pain and cramping of the left lower leg were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection for chronic headaches was granted, while claims for bilateral hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, a higher rating for contusion of the left great toe, and an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis were denied.
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