The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, left foot, chronic fatigue syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea disabilities. The claims for seizure disorder and blackouts/convulsions have been reopened.,Service connection was also granted for chronic sinusitis and lung cancer.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the appellant's current cervical spine, lumbar spine, left foot, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic sinusitis, and lung cancer disabilities are causally related to his active service. The Board has therefore granted these claims based on this presumption of service connection for Gulf War veterans.
- Claimed conditions
- Seizure disorder, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Cervical spine disability, Lumbar spine disability, Left foot disability (plantar fasciitis), Chronic sinusitis, Lung cancer, Obstructive sleep apnea, Irritable bowel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18151822
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 18151822.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The appeal for higher ratings and effective dates for various conditions was denied, with the exception of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy which were granted an earlier effective date.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for cardiac and pulmonary sarcoidosis and obstructive sleep apnea due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, requiring additional development.
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