The Board remands the claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for service-connected chronic headaches due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as no one has ever examined or interviewed the Veteran.
The deciding factor: Remand is required because there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as no one has ever examined or interviewed the Veteran for the service-connected chronic headaches.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic headaches
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25055905
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 appeal of the evaluation in excess of 30 percent for chronic headaches was dismissed by the Veteran prior to the promulgation of a decision.
- Denied
The Veteran's request for higher-level review of the November 2014 rating decision was denied as untimely.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left and right hip strain, left and right ankle pain, and bilateral plantar fasciitis as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disability. The claims for allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, chronic headaches, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and post traumatic residual pain and cramping of the left lower leg were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection for chronic headaches was granted, while claims for bilateral hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, a higher rating for contusion of the left great toe, and an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis were denied.
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