Gulf War illness / chronic multisymptom decisions — 2019

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including additional VA examinations and an addendum opinion regarding his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to concerns about the effective dates of his service connection awards and the need for medical opinions regarding the onset and chronicity of his symptoms.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, as there are insufficient medical opinions to determine whether the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims for service connection, including Gulf War Illness, memory loss, joint pain, cervical spine disability, chronic fatigue, sleep apnea, skin rashes, and headaches. The remand is due to insufficient medical evidence or need for additional examination.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left knee patellofemoral syndrome, chronic strain of the left elbow, degenerative joint disease of the right elbow, and cervical spine strain have been denied. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 30 percent prior to February 16, 2017, and in excess of 50 percent thereafter, for unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for increased rating of his thoracolumbar spine disorder is granted, with a current rating of 40 percent.

The Veteran was granted service connection for tinea pedis (athlete's foot), but denied service connection for lumbar spine disability, chronic fatigue syndrome, and allergic rhinitis.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for right ear hearing loss, fatigue, and an acquired psychiatric disability (not including PTSD) was granted. Service connection is now established for these conditions.,Further examination and review are required for the remaining issues: joint pain, muscle pain, left hand disability, right hand disability, headache disability, and fatigue.

The Veteran's character of discharge for the period from December 1998 to October 2001 is dishonorable based on willful and persistent misconduct, which constitutes a bar to receipt of VA compensation benefits. The appeal for service connection for undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness, numbness of the lip and jaw area, bilateral hammertoes, deviated septum, and residuals of traumatic brain injury is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for a digestive disorder and a headache disorder are remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for COPD and undiagnosed illness, finding that there is no current diagnosis of COPD or an undiagnosed illness in his records.

The Veteran's claims for fibromyalgia, glaucoma, PTSD, migraine headaches secondary to sleep apnea syndrome, left ankle disorder, left foot disorder, right foot disorder, right elbow disorder, chronic sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, undiagnosed illness, medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness, and right ear hearing loss have been dismissed. The Veteran's claim for glaucoma has been reopened but not granted.

The Veteran's appeal of the issues of entitlement to service connection for low back disorder, muscle twitching due to undiagnosed illness (UI), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) due to undiagnosed illness (UI), headaches due to undiagnosed illness (UI), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is remanded.,The AOJ will arrange for an appropriate examiner to determine whether the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder, muscle twitching due to undiagnosed illness (UI), CFS due to undiagnosed illness (UI), headaches due to undiagnosed illness (UI), and OSA are related to active service or a UI.

The Board has found that the necessary development was not completed and is therefore remanding the case for further action.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for widespread muscle pain due to an undiagnosed illness is granted. The Veteran's Raynaud's Syndrome of the left hand is rated at 10 percent, but no higher.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted in part. Service connection has been established for left shoulder condition, cervical spine condition (claimed as cervical spondylosis and stenosis), lumbar spinal stenosis, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, peripheral vestibular disorder, dizziness, obstructive sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease, headache condition, left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, and service connection has been reopened for alcoholism and drug abuse. Other claims have been denied.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional VA examination and opinions regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection for an undiagnosed illness resulting in fatigue, headaches, and joint pain due to Gulf War hazards.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic joint pain due to an undiagnosed illness is being remanded as the VA needs to conduct a VA examination to determine if there is a relationship between his joint pain and his military service.

The Veteran's low back disorder, diagnosed as lumbosacral strain, is related to his military service.,Resolving all doubt in the Veteran’s favor, his sleep apnea began in service.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was granted service connection as it began during active service.,Regarding left ankle achilles tendonitis, the Board remanded for additional evidence and a new examination.