IBS & irritable bowel decisions — 2006

The VA determined that the veteran's diagnosed gastrointestinal disability, including irritable bowel syndrome and sensitive gastrocolic reflex, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient VCAA notice and the absence of relevant private medical records. The case will be returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as a Persian Gulf War undiagnosed illness, effective March 1, 2002.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected irritable bowel syndrome and right foot disability due to lack of evidence showing more than mild or moderate disability.

The veteran's irritable bowel syndrome is determined to be the result of his service-connected PTSD, and thus granted as secondary.

The veteran is seeking service connection for injuries sustained while attending the United States Naval Academy in 1967. The RO has not been able to obtain relevant medical records from that time, and they are requesting further efforts to locate these records.

The Board has granted service connection for IBS and assigned a 10 percent disability rating, effective March 5, 2002. The veteran's claims for endometriosis and dysmenorrhea secondary to endometriosis are pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran's irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is related to service and grants the claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal includes claims for an earlier effective date, service connection for PTSD, and secondary service connection for various conditions. The case is being remanded to provide the necessary information and evidence for these claims.

The veteran's service-connected IBS and associated depression have been rated at 30 percent since the grant of service connection in October 1979. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted prior to December 21, 2001.

The veteran's service records do not show any diagnosis of the claimed conditions. The Board finds that these conditions are not related to his military service.

The veteran was granted service connection for migraine headaches and leukopenia, but denied service connection for hypoglycemia and irritable bowel syndrome.,Migraine headaches are attributable to service. Hypoglycemia is not shown as a chronic disability in service.

The veteran's irritable bowel syndrome was found to have its onset in service and is therefore granted service connection.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for irritable bowel syndrome, finding that the veteran's symptoms more closely approximate moderate disease with frequent episodes of bowel disturbance and abdominal distress.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and readjudication due to issues related to service connection, including hypertension and peripheral vascular disease.

The veteran's service-connected low back disability was rated at 40 percent effective May 1, 2005. The RO denied an increased rating for the veteran's GERD with a history of esophageal ulcer and IBS as not related to his active duty service.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied across the board. The Board found no evidence of a chronic right knee disorder, residuals of cold weather injury to the hands and feet, bilateral leg cramps, or heart palpitations in service. The veteran was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome but not other claimed conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed disabilities, including diverticulosis, irritable bowel syndrome, hernias, residuals of an appendectomy, and abdominal adhesions, did not manifest during service or for many years after separation from service, and are not causally related to his military service.

The veteran claims service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder, which he alleges is due to medications taken for his service-connected left shoulder disability. The case is being remanded for further examination and medical opinion.

The Board has determined that the veteran's irritable bowel syndrome is aggravated by his service-connected back disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.