The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than April 18, 2014 for the award of service connection for fibromyalgia was denied. The Veteran is currently receiving the maximum schedular rating for fibromyalgia.,The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for fibromyalgia was denied as his disability is already at its highest possible rating under VA regulations.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability was remanded due to inadequate medical opinion regarding its etiology and relationship to service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: There is no legal basis for awarding an effective date earlier than April 18, 2014 for the award of service connection as it corresponds to the date of receipt of the Veteran's claim.,The maximum schedular rating (40%) has been assigned for fibromyalgia and there are additional compensations for other conditions. Therefore, a higher initial rating is not warranted.,The cervical spine disability was remanded because the VA examiner did not provide an opinion on whether it is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- fibromyalgia, cervical spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 25, 2019
- Citation
- A19001536
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 A19001536.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 denied the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military 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.
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