The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine headaches, and hidradenitis suppurativa have been remanded due to the need for clarification regarding the type of treatment received.
The deciding factor: Clarification is needed on whether topical therapy (chlorhexidine) constitutes systemic therapy affecting the Veteran's body as a whole or if it is like or similar to a corticosteroid or other immunosuppressive drug, and whether oral medication minocycline is like or similar to such drugs.
- Claimed conditions
- fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), migraine headaches, hidradenitis suppurativa
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19100609
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for scarring, right orchiopexy and remanded the claim of asbestos exposure residuals. Other claims for service connection were denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's migraine headaches were granted a 50 percent disability rating, effective August 8, 2023, due to very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks that are productive of severe economic inadaptability.
- Granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for the Veteran's migraine headaches based on prostrating attacks occurring more than once a month and severe economic inadaptability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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