Fibromyalgia decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic fatigue syndrome, other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder, fibromyalgia, IBS (Gulf War illness), and left knee strain with osteoarthritis, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since September 16, 2017. The Board has granted the TDIU for this period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability, cervical spine disability, and increased ratings for her left knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.,An effective date earlier than March 18, 2017, is not warranted for the award of service connection for fibromyalgia, left knee extension, or left knee flexion.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition under VA's definitional criteria.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral flatfoot, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and mood disorder are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions in the June 2014 VA examination.,No exposure basis was provided.

Your appeal for a higher rating for fibromyalgia has been dismissed because the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to March 17, 2021, for service connection were denied as the complete claim was not filed within one year of his intent to file a claim.,VA awarded SMC and DEA benefits based on service-connected disabilities starting from March 17, 2021.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome are related to service in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations, and the Board has granted service connection for these conditions on a presumptive basis.

The Board has determined that the VA examination and opinion regarding fibromyalgia are inadequate, necessitating a new examination to determine if the Veteran meets the criteria for a diagnosis of fibromyalgia or if his symptoms are due to an undiagnosed illness resulting from service in Southwest Asia.

The Veteran's initial ratings for sciatic nerve conditions in the lower extremities have been granted. The appeal regarding fibromyalgia, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral upper and lower extremities, and other disabilities is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for a recurrent multi-joint and muscle disability, including CFS, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service or secondary to service-connected ulcerative colitis.

The Veteran's service-connected hypertension is granted an initial rating of 10 percent. The Board has remanded the remaining issues for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia, psychiatric disability other than unspecified anxiety disorder with unspecified neurocognitive disorder, and urination disability were denied. The claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for migraine headaches was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was granted. The claims for diabetes, lumbar disc disease, right shoulder arthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome were denied.

The Veteran's sinusitis and rhinitis are granted service connection under the PACT Act, effective from August 7, 2013.,TMJ is granted an increased rating to 30 percent effective February 3, 2021.,Depressive disorder is granted a 70 percent rating effective February 3, 2021.,Tension headaches are denied as not meeting the criteria for a higher than 30 percent rating.,Fibromyalgia remains at its maximum allowable rating of 50 percent.,IBS with GERD is denied as not meeting the criteria for a higher than 30 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for fibromyalgia and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to issues with receiving the October 2021 Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been denied. The earliest date available for the award of service connection is December 16, 2020.

The Board denied service connection for rectal bleeding and polyps, finding that the condition clearly and unmistakably preexisted service and was not aggravated by it. The other claims were remanded for further development.

The Veteran's tinnitus was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period; continuity of symptomatology is not established; and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability is not etiologically related to active service.,The Board concludes that, while the Veteran may experience symptoms of anxiety or depression, the evidence of record persuasively weighs against finding that any acquired psychiatric disorder began during service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability is therefore denied.,The Board concludes that the claims must be remanded to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors. Review of the claims file does not confirm that the Veteran was stationed in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. In this regard, the Board believes that additional efforts to determine whether the Veteran had active duty service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War are needed.,The Veteran seeks service connection for hypertension, CFS, fibromyalgia, and migraines, which he argues are due to toxic exposure risk activities (TERA). While the Veteran has consistently argued that he participated in TERA, this has not been verified by the RO. The Board finds it necessary to remand the Veteran's claims so that his potential TERA can be verified by the RO.,The Veteran seeks service connection for low back pain with intervertebral disc syndrome. He reports that he injured his back during a patrol in 2005 and contends that his current back disability is related to this injury. Remand is necessary to obtain the Veteran's complete military personnel records to ascertain whether his 2005 back injury happened during a period of ADT or IDT.,The Veteran seeks service connection for hypertension, CFS, fibromyalgia, and migraines. He contends that his disabilities are related to toxic exposures during service in Operation Enduring Freedom. The Veteran's October 2002 DD-214 confirms that the Veteran served in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine arthritis and disc disease, skin disease, migraine headaches, and fibromyalgia due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's lay statements regarding service experiences will be considered in the medical opinions.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the issue of service connection for fibromyalgia.

The Veteran's service connection awards for fibromyalgia, epilepsy, major depressive disorder, and migraines were granted effective from September 22, 2021. The Board denied requests for earlier effective dates.