The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for headaches prior to June 2, 2020 is denied. The Board found that the earliest indication of headaches associated with tinnitus was in August 2022, and thus a claim for secondary service connection for headaches was not reasonably raised at any point prior to the June 2, 2020, claim.
The deciding factor: The effective date assigned for a secondarily service-connected condition typically does not relate back to the filing date of a prior claim for the antecedent disability and is governed by 38 C.F.R. § 3.400.
- Claimed conditions
- headaches, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- April 16, 2026
- Citation
- A26035455
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 A26035455.
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 Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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