The Veteran's joint pain in the neck, which became manifest during his active duty service and has been rated at a minimum of 10 percent since August 2009, is considered an undiagnosed Gulf War illness. The claim for service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran exhibited objective indications of chronic disability (joint pain) that resulted from undiagnosed illness (undiagnosed Gulf War illness), which became manifest during his active duty service in the Southwest Asia theater and to a degree of 10 percent or more prior to December 31, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- Joint Pain
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 27, 2017
- Citation
- 1702352
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 1702352.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for generalized anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), liver condition, joint pain, intestinal condition, kidney condition, sleep apnea, vein condition, right carpal tunnel syndrome, left carpal tunnel syndrome, and lumbar spine disability have all been granted.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a sleep disorder, diagnosed as obstructive sleep apnea, and denied service connection for joint pain. The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 40 percent, with initial ratings of 20 percent for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy being granted.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an undiagnosed illness manifested by fatigue, joint pain, and muscle aches, as well as for a right shoulder strain. However, it denied claims for compensable ratings for tension headaches, chronic sinusitis, and dermatitis.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for joint pain, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, and knee degenerative arthritis were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other factors.
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