The Veteran's tension headaches are currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board found no evidence of very frequent, completely prostrating attacks that would warrant a higher rating.,Prior to September 20, 2021, the Veteran's right trigeminal nerve disability was rated as noncompensable (0%). The VA examiner noted mild incomplete paralysis with symptoms such as numbness and increased salivation. The Board found no evidence of moderate or severe impairment warranting a higher rating.,From September 20, 2021, the Veteran's right trigeminal nerve disability was rated at 10 percent based on moderate incomplete paralysis, including symptoms like facial numbness, pain, and difficulty chewing.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show very frequent, completely prostrating attacks of tension headaches that would meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The VA examiner found mild incomplete paralysis with symptoms such as numbness and increased salivation. The Board concluded these were consistent with a noncompensable (0%) rating.,From September 20, 2021, the Veteran's condition was considered moderate incomplete paralysis based on his symptoms of facial numbness, pain, and difficulty chewing.
- Claimed conditions
- Tension headaches, Right trigeminal nerve disability (post right ear cholesteatoma surgery)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 6, 2022
- Citation
- 22038539
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 22038539.
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.
- 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, 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.
- 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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