Gulf War illness / chronic multisymptom Board decisions

The Board found no objective indications of chronic fatigue or body aches as manifestations of an undiagnosed illness incurred in service. The veteran's fibromyalgia was not manifest in service and is unrelated to service.

The Board has found that the veteran's recurrent skin rashes, which are due to an undiagnosed illness during his Gulf War service, qualify for a presumption of service connection. The veteran also has been granted service connection for diagnosed alopecia areata. He is currently rated at 10% for this condition.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain additional medical evidence and to schedule the veteran for examinations.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, including periodic accelerated heart rate, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), numbness and swelling in the lower extremities, sleeplessness, and headaches, all of which were claimed as due to an undiagnosed illness during service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to new evidence received by VA.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including tingling sensation of the body, fatigue, memory loss, headaches due to undiagnosed illness, and congestion and shortness of breath due to undiagnosed illness, are found to be severe enough to prevent him from securing and following any form of substantially gainful employment. The Board grants a TDIU based on these service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current disabilities manifested by chronic fatigue syndrome or an undiagnosed illness manifested by muscle and joint pain, as these conditions are attributed to other diagnosed medical and psychological illnesses. As a result, service connection for both conditions is denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including a stomach disorder, chest disorder, body joint pain, urinary tract infection (UTI), skin condition, and eye disorder are all denied as there is no evidence of these conditions during or after his military service.

The veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected undiagnosed illness characterized by muscle and joint pain, dizziness, fatigue, and mood and memory problems was denied as he failed to report for VA examinations scheduled to evaluate the severity of his disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Gulf War Syndrome, fibromyalgia, a disability of the nervous system, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, gastric disability, liver disability, and kidney disability. The reasons given were that the veteran did not serve in Southwest Asia during the Persian Gulf War and Gulf War Syndrome is not considered a recognized condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral ankle, wrist, and knee conditions as they are not due to an undiagnosed illness or a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness related to his Persian Gulf War service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, gastrointestinal condition, vision problems due to an undiagnosed illness, and headaches. The denial is based on a lack of verified in-service stressors for PTSD and insufficient evidence of current diagnoses or linkages to service for the other conditions.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. His bilateral hearing loss was rated as 0 percent, hypertension as 0 percent, and back disability and undiagnosed illness-related arthralgias/myalgias were not found to be related to active military service or events therein.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability manifested by joint pain related to the veteran's service, including her service in the Persian Gulf War. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for reopening his service connection claim and for a higher rating for PTSD. The evidence received since the last denial was found to be cumulative and redundant, and did not raise the possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Gulf War Syndrome, swelling of both feet, and total exhaustion with frequent dizzy spells. The appeal is based on symptoms that are not clearly associated with any specific condition or exposure.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine the nature and etiology of his paresthesia symptoms, including whether they are attributable to a known clinical diagnosis or service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for numbness of the hands, chest condition/tightness in the chest, and numbness in the legs as due to undiagnosed illnesses incurred during military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were granted, with the skin disorder being attributed to new and material evidence. The knee disabilities received increased ratings.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for night sweats with sleep disturbances, memory loss, fatigue, and gastrointestinal problems as they are not related to his active military service.