Gulf War illness / chronic multisymptom Board decisions

The Board granted the veteran's claim for service connection for an undiagnosed illness manifested by fatigue, but denied his claims for increased ratings for chronic sinusitis with headaches and hypertension.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities do not warrant an evaluation in excess of the currently assigned ratings.

The Board finds that the veteran's undiagnosed illness manifested by diarrhea, dizziness and disequilibrium, headaches, and muscle and joint pain had its onset in service during his Gulf War deployment. Service connection is granted for these symptoms.

The veteran's claimed conditions were not shown to be related to service, including his Persian Gulf War service. The RO denied the veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including skin rashes, allergic rhinitis, heat/cold intolerance, photophobia, and high blood pressure. The veteran's claims were not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The veteran does not have a hearing loss disability in either ear, and his claims for service connection for headaches, arthritis of the fingers, wrists, elbows, and shoulders, right elbow condition, left elbow condition, right shoulder condition, and left shoulder condition are denied.

The veteran's headaches, fatigue, blood disorder (including leukocytosis), memory loss, insomnia, and loss of appetite are all found to be due to service-connected PTSD. The urinary disorder is not considered a chronic disability resulting from an undiagnosed illness.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of chronic disability manifested by generalized joint pain, fatigue, cardiac impairment, memory loss and/or decreased concentration, respiratory impairment, gastrointestinal reflux disease, or colon polyps. These conditions are not service-connected as they do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection based on exposure to Gulf War operations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's muscle twitching disability, which is not service-connected due to a specific exposure basis or presumption, does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions were not related to service and denied her claims for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disorder secondary to the veteran's service-connected left ankle disorder, but is unable to determine if this issue was part of an appeal regarding service connection or another issue. The initial evaluation remains at 10 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that the appellant's pre-existing condition worsened during active duty in the Persian Gulf. The other issues remain pending and will be addressed in the remand section.

The Board has granted service connection for an organic anxiety disorder and for an undiagnosed illness manifesting as fatigue and forgetfulness. Service connection for headaches was not established.

The Board has remanded the case due to new legal requirements and additional development needed, including obtaining medical records and verifying a stressful event during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation. The issue of service connection for fatigue, breathing difficulty and numbness as due to an undiagnosed illness is pending.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee strain, finding that the veteran's current condition is related to an injury sustained during active duty for training in March 1995.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the conditions did not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of evidence supporting their onset during active duty.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, a cyst on the back, post-traumatic stress disorder, fatigue as due to an undiagnosed illness, and stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss (claimed as due to an undiagnosed illness).

The Board has dismissed the veteran's appeals on all issues related to service connection for various conditions due to an undiagnosed illness, as his Substantive Appeals were not timely filed.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his conditions are not related to military service or due to an undiagnosed illness. The subcutaneous nodule of the right costal margin is presumed to have been incurred during active duty.