Gulf War illness / chronic multisymptom Board decisions

The veteran's service connection claims for undiagnosed illnesses manifested by pain in the lumbar spine, bilateral shoulders, and bilateral knees were granted.

The veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were granted. The claim for fibromyalgia was denied, and the claim for Gulf War Syndrome was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence. Claims for autoimmune disorder and colon cancer were remanded.

The Board remanded the claim for service connection of a respiratory disability, including MUCMI and/or sarcoidosis. The Veteran's exposure to burn pits during service in Iraq and Kuwait is noted.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, left upper extremity radial neuropathy, and undiagnosed illnesses causing functional loss of both feet. It denied claims for right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome and left lower extremity neuropathy.

The veteran's claim for an extraschedular rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus and a rating in excess of 10 percent for a back disorder was denied. The veteran was granted a rating of 20 percent, but no higher, for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. Several other claims were remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for GERD and an intestinal disorder are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The issues will be reconsidered with new evidence and opinions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for right knee disability and neurological disability, other than migraine headaches is being remanded due to the need for additional VA medical records.,Service connection will be considered based on direct evidence rather than presumptive or secondary theories.

Service connection is granted for IBS and an undiagnosed illness manifested by chronic fatigue and memory loss.,Service connection is denied for a bilateral ankle disability and a bilateral foot disability except for left foot hallux valgus.

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 right knee condition is granted as service connected, and the lung condition claim is remanded for further examination.

All claims for service connection related to sleep apnea, skin disability (undiagnosed illness), chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, hypercholesterolemia, headache disability, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, hypertension/high blood pressure, and type II diabetes mellitus have been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to the failure to file a subsequent Notice of Disagreement after filing for Higher-Level Review.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to a mandatory claims processing rule deficiency. The appeal was not timely filed within one year of the November 2020 and December 2021 rating decisions.

The Board has remanded the claims for an earlier effective date for TDIU, DEA, and SMC(s) due to service-connected disabilities. The claim for a TDIU is being referred to VA's Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Service connection for bilateral pes planus, respiratory disability (undiagnosed illness), left shoulder disability (undiagnosed illness), right shoulder disability (undiagnosed illness), sleep apnea, and cephalgia (undiagnosed illness) are remanded due to incomplete service records and the need for a VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to consider all relevant evidence, including service treatment records.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for muscle aches, claiming Gulf War undiagnosed illness. The evidence does not support finding that these symptoms were incurred in or caused by his military service.,For chronic fatigue syndrome and heart palpitations, the Board finds insufficient medical opinions to determine if these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for headaches and an undiagnosed illness (claimed as chronic multi-symptom illness) are granted. The Board found that the Veteran experienced headaches during service and has a current diagnosis, establishing continuity of symptomatology. For the undiagnosed illness claim, the Board found in favor of presumptive service connection based on symptoms matching those of an undiagnosed illness.

The Board has determined that there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error and remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a medical professional regarding the nature and etiology of fibromyalgia.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as the evidence did not support a finding that he was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, including PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for a joint pain disorder, bile disorder, fatigue, GERD, and dyspnea. The appeals for increased disability ratings for the right and left knee disabilities and instability were also denied. The TDIU appeal was dismissed.