The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a low back disability and denied service connection for migraine headaches. The reopening is based on new evidence that relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim, which includes details of the Veteran's in-service motor vehicle accident and post-service symptoms. Service connection was not granted as there is no medical evidence linking current low back disability to active military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence related to the Veteran’s in-service motor vehicle accident and post-service symptomatology raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim for service connection, but concluded that the current low back disability was not incurred or aggravated during service due to the lack of medical evidence linking it to active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative disc and facet arthritis (low back disability), migraine headaches
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20022179
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 20022179.
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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