The Veteran's claim for service connection for tension headaches was granted with a December 31, 2014 effective date.,Service connection for left upper extremity radiculopathy and painful scars on the left shoulder were both granted with March 6, 2013 effective dates.
The deciding factor: The earliest date service connection may be established is the date VA received the claim or the date entitlement arose. In this case, the claims for tension headaches, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and painful scars on the left shoulder were all granted with March 6, 2013 effective dates as these conditions were first medically identified in March 2013.
- Claimed conditions
- Tension headaches, Left upper extremity radiculopathy, Painful scars on the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20048037
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 20048037.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial evaluation for tension headaches to include migraines is granted, with a rating of 50 percent effective from May 23, 2023.
- Granted
The Veteran's tension headaches, which have been service-connected since the grant of service connection, are found to be very frequent and completely prostrating with prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability. The Board grants an initial 50 percent rating for tension headaches prior to December 1, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for tension and migraine headaches is remanded due to the inadequacy of the September 2020 VA examination report, which did not consider the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Granted
The Veteran's tension headaches are rated at a 30 percent rating, effective December 26, 2024. The Board found that the Veteran experienced characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on an average of once a month over the last several months, warranting this rating. A higher rating is denied.
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