Opinion ID: 770829
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Headache Condition

Text: 25 Contrary to the BVA's finding that Elkins had not presented sufficient evidence of a current headache disability, the Veterans Court held that there was indeed sufficient medical evidence that Elkins currently suffers from headaches. Nevertheless, the court then held that as to Elkins' headache condition, his claim was still not well grounded because there was no evidence of a medical nexus between the headaches and Elkins' military service. 2 Both parties now agree that this holding is contrary to our holding in Hensley v. West, 212 F.3d 1255, 1264 (Fed. Cir. 2000). In Hensley, which issued after the Veterans Court issued its decision, this court held that the Veterans Court may not review the BVA's determination of not well grounded and affirm the decision on alternative grounds (i.e., failure of another part of the three-part Caluza test) that involves finding facts in the first instance. See id.; see also Caluza v. Brown, 7 Vet. App. 498 (1995), aff'd per curiam, 78 F.3d 604 (Fed. Cir. 1996). Thus, once it determined that the BVA had erred in finding that there was insufficient evidence of a current headache condition, the proper course for the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims would have been to remand the case to the BVA for further development and application of the correct law. Id. Otherwise the Veterans Court becomes a fact-finder, rather than a court of review. Fact-finding in veterans cases is to be done by the expert BVA, not by the Veterans Court. Accordingly, we remand Elkins' potential claim for a headache condition to the Veterans Court for remand to the BVA.