The Board has granted service connection for fibromyalgia as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability and assigned a 40 percent rating for his degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The right lower extremity radiculopathy is rated at 20 percent.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence was in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's fibromyalgia was aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability and granted a secondary service connection for it. For the rating period prior to February 21, 2018, the Board determined that the Veteran’s lumbar spine disability more nearly approximated forward flexion limited to 30 degrees or less.
- Claimed conditions
- fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, rheumatoid arthritis (implied by fibromyalgia)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- December 14, 2018
- Citation
- 18158007
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 18158007.
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 claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, fibromyalgia, and vertigo. The decision found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the AOJ did not obtain all necessary opinions regarding whether the Veteran's symptoms are related to an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness (MUCMI). The claims for service connection for fatigue, fibromyalgia, left elbow disorder, right elbow disorder, and sleep disorder are remanded for further development.
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