Fibromyalgia decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's fibromyalgia, diagnosed during service and continuing to this day, meets the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including medications prescribed for such disabilities, have caused or aggravated his hypertension. As a result, the Board finds that he is entitled to SMC based on aid and attendance of another person.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities are not service-connected due to misconduct during the June 1991 in-service motor vehicle accident.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's fibromyalgia originated during her active service and is granted service connection for this condition. The claim for hepatitis C remains pending as additional development is required.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA mental health treatment records and providing a supplemental opinion regarding whether the Veteran's fibromyalgia is caused or aggravated by her service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, fibromyalgia, tension headaches, and degenerative changes of the lumbar spine with muscle strain were denied. The claim for service connection for sinus disability was granted based on allergic rhinitis only. Service connection for TMJ syndrome was established on merits.

The Veteran's claims of service connection are being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations and opinions regarding his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was received to reopen the cervical spine disability and left arm peripheral neuropathy claims, and service connection is granted.

The Board has ordered additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and prison records. A VA examination is also required to assess the current severity of PTSD and to determine if any claimed disabilities are related to service in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple conditions and theories of causation, including service connection for various disabilities allegedly related to poisoning during service. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical records, schedule appropriate VA examinations, and consider the Veteran's claims in light of his reported exposures.

The Veteran's PTSD warrants a rating of 100 percent throughout the entire period of the claim, and service connection for fibromyalgia is denied.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia was not service-connected, but her TMJ dysfunction was granted a higher rating and earlier effective date.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia is presumed to have been incurred as a result of her service in the Southwest Asia theater during the Persian Gulf War. Service connection for bilateral shoulder disability, including osteoarthritis, is granted based on objective indications of chronic disability resulting from undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained multisymptom illness.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial disability ratings for fibromyalgia and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood associated with fibromyalgia are denied. The Board found that the symptoms of both conditions did not warrant a rating higher than 20 percent for fibromyalgia or 50 percent for the mental health condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's fibromyalgia is not related to his military service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and Graves' disease. The issues of service connection for these conditions are being returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by her representative, and thus the appeals for all issues have been dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate statement of reasons or bases for deeming a May 2011 VA medical opinion adequate to decide the claim for entitlement to service connection for fibromyalgia. The Veteran needs a rheumatologist's opinion on whether he has a current diagnosis of fibromyalgia and if it is related to service.

The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy was granted effective from April 4, 2014. The claim for service connection is now considered substantiated.