The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and multiple joint pain, including bilateral hand disorder due to lack of a definitive opinion regarding whether these conditions are related to military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner was not provided with an opportunity to address whether the Veteran's symptoms represent a 'medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness' or if they have objective indications of a chronic disability resulting from an undiagnosed illness.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Multiple joint pain, Bilateral hand disorder, Right lateral epicondylitis (elbow), Left trochanteric (hip) pain syndrome, Right trochanteric (hip) pain syndrome
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20004846
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including PTSD, IBS, cardiac arrhythmia, CFS, chronic headaches, chronic sinusitis, dyspnea, and fibromyalgia. The claim for bilateral pes planus was remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an increased initial evaluation of 70 percent for PTSD but denied evaluations in excess of 10% for tension headaches and in excess of 30% for IBS, and denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome. The claims for additional service connections were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected obstructive sleep apnea and granted service connection for lumbar discogenic pain with right radiculopathy, left thumb injury residuals, bilateral hand tremors, chronic rhinitis (presumptively), and chronic sinusitis.,The Veteran's lumbar discogenic pain with right radiculopathy is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
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