The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of various conditions, including Lyme disease, respiratory disability, endocarditis, gall bladder condition, chronic diarrhea, urinary stricture, and joint pain. Service connection was granted for a neurological disability due to an undiagnosed illness.
The deciding factor: The Veteran served in Southwest Asia during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and had multiple evaluations for his symptoms which were not attributed to any known clinical diagnosis.
- Claimed conditions
- Lyme disease, respiratory disability (lung scarring), endocarditis, pericarditis and myocarditis, gall bladder condition (removal and stomach condition), chronic diarrhea, urinary stricture, scar, left index finger, scar, right index finger, neurological disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left elbow joint pain, right elbow joint pain, left ankle disability, right ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2018
- Citation
- 18150189
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 18150189.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in the July 2012 VA examination for the Veteran's left knee disability, and a new addendum opinion is needed.
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