Gulf War illness / chronic multisymptom Board decisions

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA examination and the obtaining of additional medical records to determine the current severity of his service-connected undiagnosed illness.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current left hand disorder and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied. For his mid-back disorder, the VA examiner opined that it is less likely than not related to service-incurred injuries dated May 1994. The skin disorder claim is pending as no diagnosis has been made.

The veteran withdrew his appeal in its entirety prior to the Board's decision.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased disability ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support the requested increases or connections.

The veteran's claims for muscle spasms and Persian Gulf War syndrome were denied. However, the Board found that his irritable bowel syndrome is proximately due to a service-connected disability (fibromyalgia), thus granting this claim.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain relevant records from the Social Security Administration (SSA) for further development.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to unclear evidence of his employability status and the need for a VA examination to assess his current employment capacity.

The veteran's undiagnosed illness manifested by fatigue is currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling under DC 6354. The evidence does not show that the veteran has symptoms which are nearly constant and restrict routine daily activities by less than 25% of the pre-illness level, or result in periods of incapacitation of at least two but less than four weeks total duration per year. Therefore, a higher rating is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected pain of multiple joints due to undiagnosed illness does not warrant a disability rating in excess of 20 percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for sleep disturbances, residuals of sarcoidosis, and low back disorder. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to active service.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain medical opinions regarding the veteran's low back disorder and chronic joint pain of the hips, knees, and elbows as due to an undiagnosed illness related to service in the Persian Gulf War.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a Board videoconference hearing at the RO in Nashville, TN. The case will be readjudicated after this.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's undiagnosed illness manifested by chronic fatigue, attributing it to a known clinical diagnosis of adjustment disorder.

The Board found that the veteran's reported joint pain and degenerative changes are not shown to be medically attributable to any diagnosed underlying pathology. There is no medical evidence of a relationship between the demonstrated degenerative joint disease and any event or incident of his period of active service.

The VA denied service connection for left ankle disability and irritable bowel syndrome, finding no current disabilities related to service or an undiagnosed illness.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to procedural and evidentiary deficiencies.

The Board denied service connection for muscle pain, neurological symptoms (excluding headaches), mood swings, skin rashes, and menstrual disorders due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome, multiple joint pain (including as due to an undiagnosed illness), hysterectomy, and diabetes mellitus. The appeals were based on direct service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic respiratory disorder, finding no current disability and rejecting both direct service connection and presumptive service connection due to an undiagnosed illness. The claim was reopened based on new evidence but still denied.

The Board has denied service connection for a liver disorder, bilateral chondromalacia, hair loss and sinusitis. The issues of service connection for these conditions are pending and will be addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.