The Veteran's claim for service connection for CFS, which was initially claimed as fatigue, memory loss and difficulty in concentration, is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of CFS that manifested during his active duty service, including due to his service in Southwest Asia.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found an acute onset of CFS but no diagnosis of CFS for VA purposes, as there was no description of timing or frequency of symptoms discussed in the examination. The Veteran's lay statements and those submitted by his family were consistent throughout his entire record, indicating symptoms of diminished activity levels, debilitating fatigue at least once or twice per month or more requiring bed rest, and recovery periods of 24 to 48 hours after any exertion of activity.
- Claimed conditions
- CFS, fatigue, memory loss, concentration difficulty
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19116541
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,874 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19116541.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraine headaches, as secondary to tinnitus, is granted. The claims for service connection for hearing loss disability and a disability manifested by shortness of breath other than chronic sinusitis and allergic rhinitis are denied. The claims for service connection for an intestinal disability (diverticulitis), fatigue, hypertension, neck disability, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, upper and lower back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right hip disability, left hip disability, right foot pain, left foot pain, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and an acquired psychiatric disorder are all denied.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left leg shin splints, right leg shin splints, joint pain (claimed as arthritis), sleep apnea, fatigue, neck condition, acne, and lung condition. The evidence did not show a current disability or link to military service.
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