Hemorrhoids decisions — 2018

The Veteran's appeal regarding a rating in excess of 20 percent for hemorrhoids is dismissed as his correspondence cannot be considered a valid Notice of Disagreement (NOD).

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for hemorrhoids, lipomas (claimed as a skin condition due to chemical exposure), and respiratory disability have been denied. The Board found that the current ratings assigned are appropriate based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for further examinations. The issues of service connection for various conditions are being addressed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diverticulosis and diverticulitis, anal fissure and sphincterectomy, and hemorrhoids were denied as there was no evidence of a nexus to active service or his service-connected colon polyps. The Veteran's left shoulder impingement syndrome claim resulted in a 30% disability rating since December 22, 2016.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals on the issues of bilateral hearing loss and hemorrhoidectomy ratings, resulting in their dismissal.

The Board has reopened the claims for residuals of a left knee injury, hemorrhoids, sleep apnea (recharacterized as an acquired psychiatric disorder), and PTSD. However, service connection cannot be established as the Veteran's conditions are not shown to have been incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for residuals of a nose fracture, bilateral feet (right and left), right hip disability, left hip disability, eye floaters, hemorrhoids, and right ear chondritis and actinic keratoses. The appeals are granted as new and material evidence has been received.

The Veteran's lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, as well as his hemorrhoids, have been rated appropriately. The Board has granted separate ratings for left upper and lower extremity radiculopathy effective December 29, 2016.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, as well as examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for the reduction of his GERD evaluation from 30 percent to 10 percent is granted, and he is entitled to a restoration of the 30 percent rating. The issue of the appropriate effective date for this reduction is dismissed as moot due to the grant of the reduction. The Veteran is also granted entitlement to TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for hemorrhoids prior to February 25, 2016 is being remanded due to the need to obtain outstanding private treatment records from Dr. R.R.R.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and end-stage renal disease are not related to service, and thus denied these claims. The claim for hemorrhoids is pending as it relates to a different issue.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and updated medical records.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient competent medical evidence on file for the service connection claims.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for hemorrhoids effective August 17, 2011. The Veteran is not entitled to an earlier effective date as his claim was on continuous appeal since the initial grant of service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hemorrhoids, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety disorder, depression/dysthymic disorder), and blood deficiency have been granted with effective dates of September 1, 1999, October 9, 2008, and no date respectively.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and a new examination. The issues include service connection for hemorrhoids as secondary to peptic ulcer disease, rating increases for PTSD and peptic ulcer disease.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, GERD, heart disability, elbow disabilities, sinusitis, nasal allergies, hemorrhoids, and gum disease are all granted.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for internal hemorrhoids and allergic rhinitis was denied as the evidence did not show any of the symptoms that would warrant a compensable evaluation under Diagnostic Code 6522.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied as there is no current diagnosis of the claimed conditions, and the existing conditions do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.