The Veteran's ratings for migraine and thoracolumbar spine disabilities have been restored, but the Board has found that the VA examinations used to reduce these ratings were inadequate due to not accounting for medication effects. The claims are remanded for new evaluations.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not account for the ameliorative effects of the Veteran's medications on his service-connected disabilities, which is required by law and precedent.
- Claimed conditions
- migraine including migraine variants with nonspecific headaches, thoracolumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) with degenerative disc disease (DDD) and degenerative joint disease (DJD) of lumbar spine with bone spurs
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2026
- Citation
- A26034512
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 A26034512.
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
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- Denied
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- Denied
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- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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