The Veteran's claim for service connection for low back disability is reopened, and he is granted a 50% rating for migraine headaches effective January 2, 2013. The effective dates for service connection for migraine headaches and DJD of the cervical spine are set to October 27, 2004.
The deciding factor: The Veteran submitted new evidence showing his current diagnosis of lumbosacral strain and back pain since service separation, which was not considered in the February 2005 rating decision. The Board found that this evidence is material as it relates to a previously unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, migraine headaches, degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161530
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,104 · Granted: 28% (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 19161530.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to incomplete medical records and insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between service, including a stick injury in England, and current left eye disability (including amblyopia and cataracts) as well as migraine headaches.
- Granted
The Veteran's migraine headaches are productive of very frequent, completely prostrating and prolonged attacks capable of producing severe economic inadaptability. The Board has granted a 50 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected migraine headaches was granted with an effective date of February 28, 2023.
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