Gulf War illness / chronic multisymptom decisions — 2009

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee pain and leg cramps due to an undiagnosed illness during service in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations. The upper respiratory disability (rhinitis), TMJ, and headaches are not considered related to service.

The Veteran's skin disability was not incurred or aggravated by service, including as due to an undiagnosed illness. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against granting service connection for a skin disability.

The Veteran's skin condition, bilateral knee pain, multiple joint pain, sleep apnea and chronic fatigue syndrome are all found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder disorder and infertility (claimed as due to undiagnosed illness) were denied. The Board found no current disability related to the claimed conditions, and thus denied these claims. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for finger fractures were also denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an undiagnosed illness manifested by memory loss, finding that there is no objective evidence of a qualifying chronic disability under VA regulations and noting that the Veteran's subjective complaints are not supported by the objective evidence of record.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and a chronic disability due to an undiagnosed illness secondary to service in Southwest Asia during the Persian Gulf War, finding that there was no current diagnosis of PTSD and insufficient evidence supporting the claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development of the Veteran's claims, including obtaining his service treatment records and VA treatment records.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to service for either the bilateral knees or pancreatitis, and thus denied both claims.

The Board denied all issues related to increased evaluations for various conditions, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's pterygia of the left eye is granted service connection. The Board remanded other issues for further development and readjudication.

The Veteran's GERD is related to medication used for his service-connected back disability, and thus service connection is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to deficiencies in the August 2005 VA examination report. The appellant is seeking service connection for an undiagnosed illness manifested by a chronic digestive condition, which he claims is related to his service in the Persian Gulf Theater of Operations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection due to an undiagnosed illness based on Persian Gulf War Service is denied as a matter of law.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for facial swelling and increased ratings for undiagnosed illness, as well as a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to October 9, 2008, were denied. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss beginning October 9, 2008 was also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including headaches, fatigue, respiratory issues, right hip disability, cervical spine disability, abnormal weight loss, muscle pain, and cardiac disability, have been denied as secondary to other service-connected conditions. The Board found no evidence of chronicity or presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's heart condition is not service-connected, but her lower body numbness and pain are presumed to be due to Gulf War service. The post-viral asthenia with Epstein Barr virus history is rated as analogous to chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Veteran's combined service-connected disability rating reached 30 percent on April 4, 1998, which is the effective date for additional compensation due to his dependent spouse.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the cervical and lumbosacral spine is not shown to have had its onset during active service or for several years thereafter, nor is either shown to be due to an injury or other event of any period of active service. The Board denies service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a diagnosed condition manifested by chronic fatigue, and thus denied his claim for service connection. The evidence did not establish that his fatigue was due to an undiagnosed illness or any other basis.

The Veteran's abdominal pain and neuropsychological symptoms were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred.