The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of a headache condition, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder. The VA examiner’s opinion was inadequate and did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms.
The deciding factor: The VA examination failed to address the clinical diagnosis of chronic tension headaches provided in the Veteran's November 2007 VA Agent Orange Evaluation, and the lack of consideration of the Veteran's own lay statements regarding his symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- headache condition
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069961
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 Board granted service connection for a low back condition, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, headache condition, and liver condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a headache condition to obtain new medical opinions addressing direct and secondary service connection theories.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including gastrointestinal, headache, foot, elbow, and hand conditions, as the evidence did not support a current diagnosis or symptoms related to these conditions during the pendency of the claims.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension, a headache condition, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), left knee condition, and right knee condition. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea was remanded.
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