The Veteran's claim for service connection of chronic fatigue syndrome is denied as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a diagnosed disability.,The Veteran's hypertension claim is remanded to provide an initial VA examination and opinion regarding whether it is a diagnosable, but medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness or if it has a known etiology related to service exposure. The examiner should also address whether there was manifestation of the condition within one year of separation from active duty.,The Veteran's bilateral knee claims are remanded for an examination and opinion regarding whether his arthritis manifested to a compensable degree within one year of separation from active duty, and if so, whether it is aggravated by service. The examiner should also address any complaints of knee pain in October 2012.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms do not meet the criteria for a diagnosed disability as determined by VA examiners.,The hypertension claim was found to be a diagnosable, but medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness of unknown etiology. The remand is necessary to clarify whether it has a known service-related cause and if it manifested within one year of separation from active duty.,The bilateral knee arthritis claims were not addressed in the prior examinations regarding manifestation within one year of separation from active duty, and any aggravation by service.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Hypertension, Left Knee Arthritis with Degenerative Joint Disease, Right Knee Chondromalacia and Degenerative Joint Disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2022
- Citation
- 22056122
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 22056122.
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 the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome due to conflicting medical evidence regarding the potential diagnosis. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further review and consideration.
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