The appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for migraine headaches was granted, allowing an earlier effective date of March 21, 1997.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraine headaches was originally filed on July 2, 1997, within one year of separation from active service, and the Board found that entitlement to service connection arose prior to this date.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, recurrent, severe with TBI and alcohol use disorder, severe (major depressive disorder), right hand residual scar, right hand fracture, migraine headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25026607
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for major depressive disorder is dismissed as moot because the earliest effective date was granted during the pendency of this appeal.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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