The veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, muscle and joint pain, sleep disturbance, memory loss, chest pain, diarrhea, nose bleeds, skin disability, residuals of a right shoulder injury, kidney stones, and gastroenteritis as manifestations of an undiagnosed illness have all been denied. The claim for service connection for these conditions is considered to be denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran's complaints were not found to meet the criteria for chronic disabilities resulting from an undiagnosed illness or a medically unexplained multisymptom illness as defined by VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- muscle and joint pain, headaches, sleep disturbance, memory loss, chest pain, diarrhea, nose bleeds, skin disability, residuals of a right shoulder injury, kidney stones, gastroenteritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2003
- Citation
- 0324475
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 0324475.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased initial disability evaluation of headaches due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, radiculopathies, a bladder disability, headaches, a left knee disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral conjunctivitis. The Board also granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.
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