The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, radiculopathy of the lower extremities, and gastrointestinal disorder are all granted as service-connected. The claims for fibromyalgia and memory loss have been remanded.
The deciding factor: New evidence was submitted to reopen the previously denied claims for PTSD and depression, establishing a current diagnosis and linking it to in-service psychiatric symptoms. For radiculopathy of the lower extremities, the VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current condition is secondary to her service-connected lumbar spine disability. The gastrointestinal disorder claim has been remanded due to lack of evidence connecting the condition to Gulf War exposure or an undiagnosed illness.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disability, Radiculopathy of the Right Lower Extremity, Radiculopathy of the Left Lower Extremity, Fibromyalgia, Gastrointestinal Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19147260
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,077 · Granted: 25% (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 19147260.
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 acquired psychiatric disability is rated at 100 percent, and he is granted SMC based on housebound status. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is dismissed as moot due to the grant of a 100 percent schedular rating for his service-connected acquired psychiatric disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to her military service and not a pre-existing condition. The decision also acknowledges that her service-connected disabilities may have contributed to her current mental health issues.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI residuals and a gastrointestinal disorder were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or causal relationships to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and fibromyalgia disabilities render her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus meeting the criteria for TDIU.
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