IBS & irritable bowel decisions — 2003

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied as the evidence did not show that any of his claimed conditions began or worsened during active duty.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected residuals of fractures of the left ribs, 8-11, warrant a 10 percent evaluation. The claim for PTSD and the issue regarding reopening the claim for service connection for a left arm injury are also addressed.

The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's irritable bowel syndrome as secondary to his service-connected left orchiectomy due to traumatic injury, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran.

The Board found that the veteran's IBS and GERD did not have their onset in service, as there were no relevant symptoms prior to his active duty. The evidence showed that he had stomach problems after discharge from service but before seeking treatment for these conditions.

The veteran withdrew his appeal due to returning to active duty, and thus the issues are dismissed.

The veteran's claims for service connection for allergic rhinitis, IBS, a psychiatric disability, and an upper respiratory infection (claimed as flu-like symptoms) on direct basis were denied. The Board found no current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome as incurred in active service due to exposure to the Persian Gulf.

The Board denied service connection for an irritable bowel/colon disorder and duodenitis, but granted a 10% rating for hiatal hernia. The veteran's claims for higher ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine were also denied.

The Board found that there is no evidence of the claimed conditions during service or within one year after separation, and thus denied the claims for service connection.

The Board finds that the veteran's duodenitis and irritable bowel/colon disorders resolved during active service, and thus, they are not considered to have been incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has granted service connection for IBS and GERD as secondary to the use of NSAIDs for treatment of service connected musculoskeletal disabilities. The right shoulder disability claim is pending further action.

The Board has granted service connection for depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and fatigue, memory loss, numbness and stiff, sore joints with muscle aches due to undiagnosed illness. The initial ratings have been assigned at the 10 percent level.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for GERD and service connection for a chronic lung disability as secondary to his service-connected GERD.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased initial evaluation of his postoperative disruption of the sternum with displacement of several ribs, assigning a 20 percent evaluation effective October 28, 1999. The disability is evaluated under Diagnostic Code 5099-5025.

The veteran's service-connected hiatal hernia and irritable bowel syndrome have been rated as noncompensable. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a compensable rating for either condition.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and accrued benefits due to lack of timely filing.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, heart disorder, diabetes mellitus, arthritis of the hands, benign prostatic hypertrophy, left ankle fusion, anemia, ulcer disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. The appeals were based on direct evidence rather than presumptions or secondary service connection.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected residuals of amoebic dysentery, manifested as irritable bowel syndrome, finding that the current 30 percent rating adequately reflects the severity of his disability.

The veteran's irritable bowel syndrome is found to be proximately due to or the result of his service-connected dysthymic disorder, and thus secondary service connection for gastrointestinal disability is granted.

The Board found new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a hiatal hernia and gastrointestinal disorders. However, it was determined that neither a chronic gastrointestinal disability nor a hiatal hernia was present in service or related to his period of active service.