The Veteran's claim for service connection for a headache disorder has been reopened. The Board finds that additional development is necessary to determine if the Veteran's headaches had an onset during service or are causally related to his military service, and whether they are proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion obtained in June 2016 regarding whether the Veteran’s headaches are secondary to his PTSD is inadequate as it was based on an inaccurate factual premise. The Board finds a remand is necessary to obtain new VA medical opinions that discuss whether the Veteran's headaches had an onset during service, are causally or etiologically related to his military service, and if they are proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Headache disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19170145
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 19170145.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's left ankle disability and headache disorder secondary to PTSD with alcohol use disorder have been granted increased ratings, effective September 16, 2018.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's headache disorder is remanded for further examination and opinion to determine if it is related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, headache disorder, and stroke residuals are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The AOJ needs to determine if the Veteran participated in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) during his honorable period of active service from March 1982 to September 1985 and obtain VA examinations for hypertension, stroke residuals, and headaches.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's headache disorder, finding that it is at least as likely as not secondary to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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