Hemorrhoids decisions — 2012

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, elevated liver enzymes, and blood in the stool were denied. The claim for hemorrhoids was also denied.

The Board finds that the reduction from a 10 percent rating to noncompensable for hemorrhoids and rectal fissure was improper due to procedural errors and lack of evidence of actual improvement.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including hearing loss and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board finds no evidence to support a finding that the Veteran's current lower gastrointestinal disorders are related to his service or any service-connected disability. The VA examiners did not find any pathology in the Veteran's gastrointestinal tract related to his in-service surgeries.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, alone, do not render him unemployable. The Director of Compensation and Pension Service concluded that the Veteran was not unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding no evidence of in-service treatment or continuity of symptoms since service that would support a grant of service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected hemorrhoids are not manifested by persistent bleeding, secondary anemia, or fissures. The Board finds that the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent for hemorrhoids do not meet and therefore denies the claim.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile and adaptive equipment, or for adaptive equipment only.

The Veteran's sleep apnea, hemorrhoids and anal fissures, and postoperative impingement syndrome with osteophytes of the right shoulder have been granted service connection. The Veteran is currently rated at 30% for his postoperative impingement syndrome with osteophytes of the right shoulder.

The Veteran's hemorrhoids have not met the criteria for a compensable rating during the initial rating period from September 1, 2004.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule him for a Travel Board hearing at the local RO in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an all-terrain vehicle (John Deere Gator) under the provisions of a Title 38, United States Code, Chapter 31, independent living program due to safety concerns and lack of necessity for daily living.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for hemorrhoids prior to September 4, 2007 was denied as the evidence did not show that his hemorrhoids met the criteria for a higher rating at any time during this period.,Service connection for hypertension was also denied because there is no competent evidence showing that the Veteran's current hypertension had its onset in service or is causally related to service.

Your appeal is being remanded to the RO for a Travel Board hearing. The issues include reopening your claim for asthma and bronchitis, service connection for left shoulder disability, service connection for hemorrhoid disability, and rating adjustments for other conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 4, 2009 for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to lack of factual ascertainability prior to that date.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection for epilepsy due to withdrawal by the appellant. The claims for diabetes mellitus, back disability, allergies, hemorrhoids, and hepatitis C have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hemorrhoids are etiologically related to his active military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. The remaining issues of entitlement to service connection for a kidney disorder, peptic ulcer disease, and diverticulosis have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for alcoholism, high cholesterol, right shoulder disability, bilateral pes planus, low back disability, and hemorrhoids have been denied as a matter of law due to the prohibition on direct service connection for these conditions based on their relationship to substance abuse. The claim for initial compensable evaluation for service-connected hemorrhoids is also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder bursitis with ulnar neuropathy, duodenal ulcer, tinnitus, right wrist sprain with small degenerative cyst, otitis media, and hemorrhoids, preclude him from securing and maintaining gainful employment. The Board grants entitlement to TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have service connection for any of the claimed conditions, as there is no evidence of current disabilities or a link to service.