The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for migraine headaches and remanded claims for service connection for sleep apnea, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with hiatal hernia.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not experience characteristic prostrating attacks of migraines as required by the criteria for a compensable rating. The Board found that the evidence did not support service connection for sleep apnea, CFS, and GERD with hiatal hernia due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- migraine headaches, sleep apnea, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with hiatal hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2024
- Citation
- A24066449
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's migraine headaches were granted a 50 percent disability rating, effective August 8, 2023, due to very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks that are productive of severe economic inadaptability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for the Veteran's migraine headaches based on prostrating attacks occurring more than once a month and severe economic inadaptability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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