The Veteran's initial compensable disability rating for musculoskeletal tension headaches is being remanded due to the need for a more contemporaneous medical examination and a supplemental opinion reconciling previous findings.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran did not have characteristic prostrating attacks, but the Veteran has provided lay statements about his symptoms and their effects on work. A new examination and supplemental opinion are needed to reconcile these findings.
- Claimed conditions
- musculoskeletal tension headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20081315
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20081315.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for musculoskeletal tension headaches prior to June 18, 2021 has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew their appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for musculoskeletal tension headaches is remanded due to the need for further development and examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability, musculoskeletal tension headaches, and a right hand disorder characterized as numbness of the ulnar nerve. The VA has determined that these conditions are not related to military service or any service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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