The Board has determined that the Veteran's migraines are not related to service, but may be secondary to his service-connected obstructive sleep apnea. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the cause of the migraines and their relationship to toxic exposures during service.
The deciding factor: The examiner’s initial opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay testimony about exposure to blasts and bombings during service, nor his spouse's testimony about witnessing his migraines since service. The Board also found that a new examination is needed to assess potential secondary effects of toxic exposures from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Migraine headaches, including migraine variants
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 24, 2024
- Citation
- A24040587
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 A24040587.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and remanded issues related to migraine headaches, lumbosacral strain, and right ear hearing loss.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's left upper arm scar and remanded the claim for a new examination to evaluate the severity of his migraine headaches.
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