The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for service connection, except for fibromyalgia which may be presumed as having been sustained as a result of his service in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claimed conditions do not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of direct or presumptive evidence. However, fibromyalgia was found to be related to his Gulf War Syndrome based on objective signs and symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Right knee disorder, Right hip disorder, Back disorder, Varicose veins with swelling of the bilateral lower extremities, Fibromyalgia
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2014
- Citation
- 1445496
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 1445496.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the (o) rate and SMC at the (r)(2) rate, effective January 19, 2025. The decision finds that the Veteran's service-connected conditions warrant these awards due to his need for aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether injuries sustained in a November 2001 incident were in the line of duty. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded due to its interdependence with the line of duty issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain private treatment records from the Veteran's treating clinician.
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