Hemorrhoids decisions — 2001

The veteran's service connection claims for hemorrhoids, irregular heart beat, residuals of a right leg injury, ringing in the ears, dizziness and vertigo, prostate disorder, low back disability, and depression have all been granted.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current level of hemorrhoid disability does not warrant an increased rating beyond the currently assigned 20 percent evaluation.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions, including osteoarthritis of the lumbosacral spine with radiculopathy, depression, hepatitis B, appendectomy scar, skin rash, hemorrhoids, right wrist keloid, epididymitis, chronic prostatitis, impotency, colon disorder, anemia, and sinusitis. The claims are denied.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for hemorrhoids, a skin rash on the inner thighs, and a bilateral leg disorder with weakness due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for hemorrhoids.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected post-operative hemorrhoids with anal stricture warrant a 60 percent evaluation, primarily due to fecal incontinence and poor sphincter control.

The Board has granted the appellant's claims for increased ratings for ulnar neuropathy, left index finger fracture residuals, hemorrhoids, and a laceration of the left upper thigh. The disability ratings have been increased to 10 percent each.

The veteran's appeal is about increasing his evaluation for service-connected hemorrhoids, which was initially rated at 10 percent. The Board has ordered a remand due to changes in the law and the need for additional development of evidence.

The Board granted the veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for chronic bowel syndrome, an extraschedular rating, and a retroactive effective date for service connection of hemorrhoids.

The Board has granted a 10 percent evaluation for the veteran's status post hemorrhoidectomy, effective from the date of the decision. The increased evaluations for allergic rhinitis and tension headaches remain noncompensable.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found no new evidence to reopen the claim of residuals of a brain concussion, as there was no showing of current residuals or head injury during service.

The Board found that the veteran's hemorrhoids were not incurred or aggravated by service, and denied his claim for a gastrointestinal disorder as it was determined to be related to service. The GI disorder is presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including hypothyroidism, hemorrhoids, myopia, lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and residuals of Epstein-Barr virus infection. The veteran's claims were found to lack sufficient evidence to support the assertions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hiatal hernia with gastritis and duodenitis, a scalp condition, a skin condition, hemorrhoids, migraine headaches, and chronic fatigue syndrome, all claimed as due to undiagnosed illnesses during active service in Southwest Asia.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD is related to his service in Vietnam and grants this claim. The other issues are remanded for further development.

The veteran's service-connected conditions have been evaluated, and no ratings in excess of the current ones are warranted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, finding that it was not factually ascertainable that he had been unemployable prior to December 5, 1997.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the issue of entitlement to service connection for athlete's foot due to a failure to file a timely substantive appeal within 60 days of the issuance of the statement of the case.

The veteran's service-connected hemorrhoids are rated at 20 percent, the highest available rating under VA guidelines.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's request for an increased rating for his service-connected hemorrhoids.