IBS & irritable bowel decisions — 2000

The Board has determined that a rating in excess of 10 percent is not warranted for the veteran's residuals of resection of the 4th and 6th right ribs for grafting for temporomandibular joint surgery.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hearing impairment, defective vision, skin disorder, verruca vulgaris (warts), bilateral ankle disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic headaches, maxillary sinusitis, thoracic spine disability, pes cavus, and left varicocele are not well grounded. The veteran's claims have been denied as they do not meet the threshold requirement for a well-grounded claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for residuals of a left ankle, fibula, and tibia fracture; hypertension; irritable bowel syndrome with gastroesophageal reflux disease; kidney stones; and multiple angiolipomas.

The veteran's claims for service connection for fatigue/memory loss, stomach problems, and shoulder disorder are granted as these conditions are presumed to be related to his service in the Persian Gulf. The veteran's claims for muscle tension headaches and multiple joint arthralgias are also granted under the same presumption.

The Board has found the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, to include on a secondary basis, is well grounded. The appeal is granted to this extent.

The Board has granted service connection for low back disorder and irritable bowel syndrome, finding that these conditions originated during service.

The veteran's claims for PTSD, depression, sinusitis/rhinitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and a skin disorder (claimed as tinea cruris and tinea pedis) are granted. The claim for left knee disorder is not well-grounded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of frostbite to his hands, irritable bowel syndrome as secondary to PTSD, and stomach disorder as secondary to PTSD. The veteran's total disability rating claim was also denied due to the combined effect of his service-connected disabilities not meeting the schedular criteria for individual unemployability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux, esophagitis, antral gastritis, duodenitis, and irritable bowel syndrome, claimed as a stomach disorder. The claim for residuals of viral gastroenteritis was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, ribs, head, and back injuries due to a motor vehicle accident in service. However, the claims are denied as there is no medical evidence linking these current disabilities to service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for right ear hearing loss and IBS were denied as the current evaluations are considered appropriate based on the severity of his conditions.

The veteran's claim for VA outpatient dental treatment was denied as his current dental condition does not meet the criteria for Class III treatment, which requires a professional medical determination that it is aggravating a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including fibromyalgia, impotence, sleep apnea, hair loss, irritable bowel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, and skin rashes due to undiagnosed illnesses are not well grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for a mild concussion and bruised ribs are not well grounded, as there is no evidence showing these conditions were incurred during active duty.

The Board determined that the veteran did not file a timely appeal for the 10 percent rating and effective date assigned in the March 1996 RO rating decision.

The veteran's duodenal ulcer and irritable bowel syndrome, with a history of resection of the intestine and residual (partial temporary) colostomy, are currently evaluated at 30 percent. The claim remains viable as higher evaluations may be available under different diagnostic codes or on an extra-schedular basis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including aching joints with numbness in arms and hands, headaches, diarrhea, skin rash, fatigue with irritability and stress, and irritable bowel syndrome. The reasons given were that there was no objective evidence of chronic disability resulting from an undiagnosed illness following service in the Southwest Asia theatre of operations during the Persian Gulf War.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his nonservice-connected pension benefits, finding that he did not meet the criteria for a retroactive award due to insufficient evidence of incapacitation or extensive hospitalization in 1994. The effective date remains January 29, 1998.

The Board determined that the appellant's gastrointestinal symptoms are attributable to known clinical diagnoses and not due to an undiagnosed illness. The claims for service connection were denied as they did not meet the criteria for a well-grounded claim.