Board decisions
What the Board granted and denied for Gulf War illness
In the Board decisions we have indexed since 2019, veterans raised 8,732 issues about Gulf War illness. Of the ones it decided, the Board granted 25 percent. It sent 64 percent of all these issues back for more work.
Every decision counted here is an appeal. The regional office decided the claim first, the veteran disagreed, and the Board is the next step after that. These are not the odds on a first claim.
Since 2019
160 were reopened for a fresh look, which is not a grant and is not counted as one. 264 were dismissed or withdrawn. 24 ended some other way, or we could not read the outcome.
Across every year we have indexed, that is 43,091 issues across 16,181 decisions, 21 percent granted of the ones decided, and 54 percent sent back for more work.
What a remand is
A remand is not a yes or a no. The Board sends the claim back to the regional office for more work, such as a new exam or a record that was not in the file. The claim is decided again later, and that later decision is a separate document.
What showed up in the decisions
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| What the decision mentions | Granted3,642 issues | Denied13,765 issues |
|---|---|---|
| A medical opinion, or the words nexus or at least as likely as not, anywhere in the decision | 90 percent | 90 percent |
| The words lay statement, buddy statement, or lay evidence | 67 percent | 74 percent |
| A hearing was held (the veteran or a witness testified) | 45 percent | 35 percent |
| The decision calls an exam or medical opinion inadequate | 11 percent | 7 percent |
These are mentions in the written decision, not reasons for the outcome. A denied issue can mention a doctor's opinion just as a granted one does. Whether the opinion was for or against the claim, and the reasons it gave, are not something these counts can see. Each item is counted for the whole decision, so it may concern another issue decided in the same document.
Claimed together
A pair gets its own page once it appears at least 100 times and the Board decided at least 20 of them. Pairs below that are in the data but have no page.
Claimed as secondary to Gulf War illness
Gulf War illness claimed as secondary to something else
Gulf War illness secondary to PTSD
Since 2019: 135 issues paired, 20 percent granted of the ones decided
Gulf War illness secondary to depression or anxiety
Since 2019: 64 issues paired, 14 percent granted of the ones decided
Recent decisions about Gulf War illness
- June 24, 2026Granted
Service connection for bilateral elbow pain as an undiagnosed illness
Read the decision at VA.gov - June 24, 2026Granted
Service connection for chronic fatigue as an undiagnosed illness
Read the decision at VA.gov - April 27, 2026Granted
Entitlement to service connection for left lower extremity neurological manifestations of an undiagnosed illness
Read the decision at VA.gov - April 9, 2026Denied
Entitlement to service connection for an undiagnosed illness claimed as restless leg syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), to include as secondary to a service-connected disability
Read the decision at VA.gov
What this means for you
For a Gulf War veteran the rule pays for a chronic disability that history, examination, and tests cannot tie to any known diagnosis. What the claim rests on is the record of the signs and symptoms, how long they have lasted, and the service in the Southwest Asia theater.
The rule also covers a diagnosed illness with no settled explanation, and it names chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome. For those, the diagnosis in a treatment record and the service in the theater are what the claim rests on.
The rule sets a date by which the illness has to have shown itself to a compensable degree, unless it appeared during service in the theater. That date has been moved more than once. Check the current text of the rule before you rely on it.
For a higher rating, the schedule rates the illness by the body system it affects, or by the findings the rule gives for chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel. Bring the records that show the findings, not just the diagnosis.
Keep reading
Board decisions by condition
Every condition family and the secondary pairs that appeared most, counted from 1,479,738 Board decisions.
How to Read a Board of Veterans' Appeals Decision
Where VA Board decisions live and how to read one in ten minutes, using a real back case.
Lay Evidence and Buddy Statements That Hold Up at the Board
Who can write a statement for you, what they can say, and how the VA weighs it, with prompts for knee, back, sleep apnea, and PTSD.
Free to use. The written playbook is $49.99 once, when it ships.
An issue is counted in a family by its diagnostic code or by the words in the issue. One issue can be counted in more than one family. Percent granted is of the ones the Board decided, so remands and dismissals are left out. The example decisions are recent ones we could link whose issue names this condition, chosen so that both outcomes are shown when we have them. Reopened claims and effective-date disputes are left out. Past decisions do not predict yours. Each page states the decisions from 2019 on, and says so, unless the Board decided too few of them since 2019 to give a percentage worth reading. Where that happens the page counts every year instead and tells you it has. This page is education, not legal advice. Rules quoted are from 38 CFR Parts 3 and 4, as published on the government's eCFR website. Board decisions are public records, linked at their source.