The Board has granted service connection for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, both of which are considered qualifying chronic disabilities under the provisions of the Persian Gulf War Veterans' Act. The veteran's symptoms have been documented since at least 1993, with diagnoses confirmed by medical records.
The deciding factor: The veteran has provided objective evidence of current diagnoses of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, which are considered qualifying disabilities under the provisions of the Persian Gulf War Veterans' Act. The onset of these conditions is not attributable to any known clinical diagnosis or supervening cause.
- Claimed conditions
- Sinusitis, Breathing problems, Headaches, Joint pain, Chronic Fat Syndrome, Numbness in the lower extremities, Muscle weakness, Memory loss/difficulty concentrating, Ear problems, Dizziness/balance problems, Gastrointestinal problems
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- May 15, 2003
- Citation
- 0309136
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 504 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0309136.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for obstructive sleep apnea and headaches, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of persistent daytime hypersomnolence or other manifestations consistent with a compensable disability rating under the criteria established by Diagnostic Codes. The matter is remanded to obtain additional information from the Veteran regarding his headaches and their impact on his daily life.
- Granted
The Veteran's OSA is granted as secondary to PTSD, but his headaches are denied due to lack of service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's headaches, which manifested as very frequent and prolonged attacks causing severe economic inadaptability, are granted a 50 percent disability rating for the entire period on appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran's sinusitis is currently rated at a noncompensable evaluation. The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for sinusitis as of February 19, 2021, based on the number and duration of incapacitating episodes requiring antibiotic treatment.
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