Fibromyalgia decisions — 2013

The Veteran's claims for service connection for psychiatric disability and fibromyalgia, as well as her requests for increased ratings for ankle and heel disabilities, were denied. The claim for TDIU was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected narcolepsy is rated at 40 percent, while her service-connected fibromyalgia remains at the minimum 10 percent rating. The decision is mixed as it grants a higher rating for one condition and denies the other.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection, including VA examinations and obtaining relevant medical records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 14, 1994 for the award of a TDIU due to lack of evidence showing unemployability solely due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's symptoms, including fibromyalgia and polyarthralgia, were not found to be related to his service or due to an undiagnosed illness. The VA examinations did not find objective indications of a qualifying chronic disability.

The Board granted service connection for fibromyalgia/intermittent migratory arthralgia and chronic fatigue syndrome as undiagnosed illnesses of Persian Gulf War origin, but denied the other claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for her low back disability, service connection for fibromyalgia and headaches. The criteria used to evaluate these conditions are considered adequate by VA.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's thoracic outlet syndrome does not meet the criteria for a separate compensable evaluation as it does not demonstrate demonstrable neurological impairment or other compensable impairment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any of the disabilities listed in his claims, and therefore service connection is denied.

The Veteran's dysfunctional uterine bleeding, menorrhagia, and dysmenorrhea were related to her active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to her request for a video-conference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the appellant's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, fibromyalgia, and TMJ disorder. The appellant's current conditions are not shown to be related to her military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to address her claims.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current nature and severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address his claims of service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, heart disorder, fibromyalgia, sleep disorder, gastrointestinal disorders, cold injury residuals of the hands and feet. The case will be returned to the Board after further review.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred from May 6, 2009 through May 8, 2009 at Maine Medical Center were approved due to the emergent nature of his condition and the unavailability of VA facilities that could have provided the necessary care.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for fibromyalgia of the bilateral arms, legs, hands and feet was denied as there is no evidence of a diagnosed condition or any link to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his VA treatment records, as the physical copies are not in the claims file.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including bladder cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The appeal is based on presumed exposure to herbicides, but there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or to any specific exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for a personal hearing before a Veterans Law Judge by videoconference at the St. Petersburg VA Regional Office.