BVA Case 11-2345: Back

On October 2,1980,the Board denied the appellant's headache claim.

Direct Service Connection Establishing service connection generally requires medical or,in certain circumstances,lay evidence of (1)a current disability;(2)incurrence or aggravation of a disease or injury in service; and (3)a nexus between the claimed in-service injury or disease and the current disability.

It is well established that the Board must provide a statement of the reasons or bases for its determination,adequate to enable an appellant to understand the precise basis for its decision,as well as to facilitate review in this Court.

It is the Board's responsibility,as factfinder,to determine the credibility and weight to be given to the evidence.

The determination of the credibility of lay evidence is a factual question reviewed under the clearly erroneous standard.

While the Board may discount favorable evidence if it finds the evidence lacks probative value,the Board must provide an adequate statement of reasons or bases for its rejection of any material evidence favorable to the claimant.

The Board also noted the appellant's assertions that he experienced headaches as a result of alleged in-service injuries, but the Board concluded that there is no evidence in the [appellant's] contemporaneous [SMRs]that he incurred any injuries other than a broken ankle during active service .

Although these records tend to corroborate the appellant's assertions that he injured more than his ankle during the fall,and that some of his headaches occurred after the helicopter accident,the Board found that this evidence was not probative because the complaints were not recorded at the time of the December 1970 helicopter accident and the examiner made no medical findings regarding these complaints.