The Board remands the claim for service connection for muscle and joint pain, to include fibromyalgia, due to a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the March 2024 rating decision.
The deciding factor: Further development is required to address the Veteran's joint pain diagnoses and the etiology of his apparent disabilities/conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- muscle and joint pain, fibromyalgia, fibromyositis, seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, arthralgia of the bilateral shoulders, elbows, and knees, trochanteric bursitis of the bilateral hips
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25027673
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for scarring, right orchiopexy and remanded the claim of asbestos exposure residuals. Other claims for service connection were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for fibromyalgia and Gulf War unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness, bronchus, as well as an extension of the temporary 100 percent disability evaluation.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for fibromyalgia as the evidence does not support a current diagnosis of the condition.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.