Chronic fatigue syndrome decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate examination reports and insufficient reasons provided by the VA examiners.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development, including those related to insomnia disorder, erectile dysfunction, chronic fatigue syndrome, blackout spells, DDD of the cervical spine, pinched nerve as secondary to DDD of the cervical spine, right carpal tunnel syndrome, and right shoulder disability. The Veteran's hypertension claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including depression and anxiety, is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for a headache disability due to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disability is also granted.,Service connection for sleep apnea due to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disability is also granted.,Service connection for gastrointestinal disability (irritable bowel syndrome) due to exposure to environmental hazards during service is remanded for further development.,Individual unemployability is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleeplessness, chronic fatigue, and concentration issues as due to an undiagnosed illness or a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness (MUCMI) is remanded. The Board found the evidence unclear regarding whether these symptoms are related to his service-connected conditions or if they constitute an undiagnosed illness.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome is denied as there is no evidence of a separate and distinct diagnosis.,Service connection for right knee disorder, including as due to a service-connected disability or medications taken for a service-connected disability, is also denied. The examiner found that the current right knee condition is not related to any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, to include heart murmur and chest pains has been reopened due to the submission of new evidence.,An effective date of January 8, 1997 is granted for the award of service connection for headaches.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings were dismissed. Effective May 16, 2014, a rating of 20 percent was granted for the lumbar spine disability.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a disability manifested by chronic fatigue is remanded due to the need for clarification from a VA examiner regarding whether there is another cause for her fatigue symptoms after OSA treatment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, increased ratings for kidney stones and migraines, and evaluations in excess of the current ratings for left wrist TFCC repair residuals and neuropathy of the left hand post TFCC tear and surgical repair have been dismissed. The claim for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to include as secondary to sleep apnea has been remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and incomplete review of medical records. The Veteran's chronic fatigue syndrome claim is being reviewed again with a more comprehensive VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and his TDIU claim is denied.

Service connection is granted for urinary incontinence as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine degenerative arthritis.,Service connection is granted for chronic fatigue syndrome as secondary to service-connected COPD with obstructive sleep apnea.,The Veteran's pleuritic chest pain claim remains pending and requires further examination and opinion.,The heart condition claim, including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease, is remanded due to the inextricably intertwined nature of the issues. A new opinion is needed regarding whether the heart condition is directly related to service.,Gastrointestinal disorder (including gastric ulcers and gastroenteritis but excluding IBS and GERD) claim remains pending and requires further examination and opinion.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to outstanding development of records and clarification of periods of active duty, inactive duty training (ACDUTRA), and National Guard service.

The Veteran's lumbar disability is now rated at 30 percent, and he also received separate ratings for left lower extremity radiculopathy. Additionally, the Veteran was granted a TDIU effective from May 1, 2017.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, leaving no issues for the Board to adjudicate.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome as there is no current diagnosis of this condition.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for PTSD and hypertension, denied service connection for various conditions including hearing loss, tinnitus, fibromyalgia, low testosterone, chronic fatigue syndrome, left facial injury, Dercum's Disease, skin disability, neurological disability, and sleep disability. The claim for a 70 percent rating for PTSD was granted.

The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome and remanded for additional development regarding his back disability.

The Veteran's service connection claim for chronic fatigue syndrome is granted due to objective indications of a qualifying chronic disability, as the November 2021 VA examiner diagnosed the condition and provided a positive nexus opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, and erectile dysfunction were denied. The Board found no evidence of CFS or rheumatoid arthritis during the pendency of the claim. Service connection was granted for erectile dysfunction as secondary to coronary artery disease.,Special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of a creative organ is granted.