The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic rhinitis is granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure in the Southwest Asia theater of operations under the PACT Act. The Board also remanded other issues including sinusitis, CFS, fibromyalgia, and chronic rhinitis prior to August 10, 2022.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis, CFS, fibromyalgia, and chronic rhinitis are remanded. The Board will attempt to corroborate the Veteran's reported in-service stressor and obtain a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The PACT Act provides presumptive service connection for respiratory illnesses such as chronic rhinitis due to toxic exposures in the Southwest Asia Theater of operations during the Gulf War Era.,There is no persuasive evidence that the Veteran's sinusitis pre-existed service or was caused by a superseding event. The Board finds another VA examination necessary.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2024
- Citation
- 24012624
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 24012624.
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.
- 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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