The Veteran's petition to reopen the previously denied claim for migraine headaches was granted. Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted, and service connection for fibromyalgia is granted with a rating of 70 percent effective December 11, 2018.,Service connection for COPD and hypertension are both denied. The Veteran's MDD is found to aggravate his obstructive sleep apnea.
The deciding factor: The new evidence received includes a VA examination that diagnosed post-coital headaches, associated with chronic tension headaches, and migraine headaches. This raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for service connection.,There is no competent or credible evidence linking COPD to any incident of service. Hypertension was not present in service or within one year after separation. The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is aggravated by his service-connected MDD.
- Claimed conditions
- migraine headaches, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension (claimed as high blood pressure), obstructive sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- September 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19169125
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 19169125.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
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