The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right side pain, fatigue, lung condition, and shortness of breath due to inadequate medical opinions. The VA needs to obtain an addendum opinion from a clinician regarding whether these conditions represent undiagnosed illness related to his Gulf War service or are part and parcel of his service-connected PTSD with somatization disorder.
The deciding factor: The Board found the existing medical opinions incomplete and requested further clarification on whether the Veteran's symptoms represent undiagnosed illnesses or are related to his service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- right side pain, fatigue, lung condition, shortness of breath
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21042733
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 21042733.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lung condition, including pneumonia residuals, COPD, and emphysema, is remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his military service. The appeal is reopened based on new evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lung condition and obstructive sleep apnea are being remanded for additional development to determine if they are related to service, specifically his in-service pneumonia. The claims will also be reviewed for secondary service connection due to the Veteran's tinnitus and hearing loss.
- 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.
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