Gulf War illness / chronic multisymptom decisions — 2003

The veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and records.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service medical records and the need for additional VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for colitis and multiple joint pain and muscle spasms of the back, shoulders, and elbows due to an undiagnosed illness. Service connection was denied for fatigue due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board has determined that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was incurred in service and granted service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, including headaches, lung/breathing problems, joint pain, insomnia, stomach disorder, rash, dizziness, and weakness, are not related to his active duty service. The claims have been denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development of evidence, including obtaining service medical records and VA treatment records. The claims are also being considered on a new basis due to reopening.

The VA has denied the veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations for her intermittent lumbar strain syndrome and chronic diarrhea due to undiagnosed illness, as the evidence does not support a finding of severe symptoms warranting an increase in rating.

The veteran's service connection claims for right and left carpal tunnel syndrome, low back disability, and left leg disability are denied. Service connection is granted for a right index finger scar.

The veteran's claim for service connection for undiagnosed illnesses as due to Persian Gulf War syndrome is denied because he did not serve in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. The Board also notes that his claim for Lyme disease cannot be granted under current law.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for the veteran's service-connected anxiety features of an undiagnosed illness, effective from when the claim was filed.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disorder and arthralgia/tendonitis of multiple joints, finding that any in-service complaints were not chronic and resolved without residual disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including post traumatic stress disorder and depressive disorder with psychotic features, as well as for disc disease of the lumbosacral spine. The reasons are not provided in this text.

The Board has received notification from the appellant that they wish to withdraw their appeal, including all issues listed on the front cover of this decision.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected undiagnosed illness has been manifested by subjective complaints of episodes of vomiting and diarrhea, headaches, fever, memory loss and fatigue; however, clinical or objective evidence did not show impairment analogous to moderate irritable colon syndrome, migraine headaches with prostrating attacks, or disability analogous to mild symptoms of mental disability with occupational and/or social impairment. The veteran's service-connected undiagnosed illness is currently rated 10 percent disabling.

The Board has remanded the case due to VCAA compliance issues and review of new evidence. The veteran will be afforded VA examinations and his claim for service connection on reopened grounds will be reviewed.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee condition, sinusitis, photophobia, and chest pain with respiratory changes due to an undiagnosed illness have been denied as there is no evidence of current disability or disease in service.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of low back disorder, bronchitis, skin disorder as an undiagnosed illness, and joint pain of right elbow, left knee, and bilateral wrists due to an undiagnosed illness. The appeals were not timely filed.

The veteran's constipation and diarrhea are considered chronic disabilities resulting from undiagnosed illnesses, but service connection for these conditions is not granted on a direct basis. The veteran's sleep disability cannot be linked to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board finds that the veteran's pre-existing low back disability manifested by lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease was aggravated by service. The veteran is not shown to have a hip or right leg disability due to an injury or disease in service, and his memory loss is presumed to be due to an undiagnosed illness incurred during service.

The Board finds that the veteran has PTSD and an undiagnosed illness, to include fever, malaise, muscle pain, loss of energy, lack of stamina, cough with shortness of breath, chest pain, and swollen glands of the neck. Service connection is granted for these conditions.