The Veteran's claim for service connection for fibromyalgia was denied as it would violate the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 4.14, which prohibits granting service connection for a disability that is part and parcel of another condition already in service-connected status.,Ratings for right and left knee disabilities were also denied as they did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's fibromyalgia was found to be related to her service-connected Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which already contemplates chronic musculoskeletal pain. The Board determined that granting service connection for fibromyalgia would violate the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 4.14, as it would result in overlapping disability ratings.,The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities were rated based on their specific symptoms and limitations under Diagnostic Codes 5260 (flexion) and 5261 (extension). The Board found that the current ratings adequately reflected her functional impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- fibromyalgia, right knee retropatellar pain syndrome, left knee retropatellar pain syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- July 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20049030
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 20049030.
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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 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.
- 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.
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