IBS & irritable bowel decisions — 2020

The Veteran's IBS has been rated at 10 percent, but the Board granted a higher rating of 30 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability, including irritable bowel syndrome and functional bowel syndrome, finding no evidence of current disability related to active service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inconsistencies in the VRC evaluation and need for a new assessment of his employment feasibility given his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for migraine headaches and IBS with GERD are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for IBS was granted. The claims for left and right foot disabilities were denied.

The Veteran's sinusitis is rated at 30 percent from November 22, 2013. The Board found that the evidence did not show more than six non-incapacitating episodes per year with sinusitis characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting.

The Veteran's IBS disability symptoms more nearly approximate the criteria for a 30 percent rating prior to December 12, 2019. The maximum schedular rating under Diagnostic Code 7319 is granted.

Your appeal for service connection for irritable bowel syndrome has been dismissed due to an administrative error. The Board's decision is final and cannot be appealed further.

The Veteran is currently in receipt of a noncompensable disability rating for Crohn’s disease and IBS prior to May 17, 2017. A 20 percent rating was granted thereafter. The Board found the Veteran's symptoms have been consistently reported throughout the pendency of this claim and find they most closely approximated 'moderately severe' symptoms with frequent exacerbations.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations did not comply with the remand instructions and thus the cases are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for his bowel condition (IBS and GERD) was denied. The Board found that the symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as they were not severe enough to warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent. Additionally, the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric condition was not addressed due to it being previously denied by the Board and not appealed to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). The Veteran's appeal for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) was also denied as he did not meet the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error, and the Veteran's claim for service connection for IBS as secondary to PTSD must be further evaluated.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed.,The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right lower extremity numbness, left upper and lower extremity numbness, poly joint pain in all major joints, irritable bowel syndrome, obstructive airway disease, and fibromyalgia, due to exposures during service in the Persian Gulf War.

The Veteran's chronic fatigue syndrome is granted as secondary to his service-connected fibromyalgia, while other claims for increased ratings and effective dates are denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, as it is unclear whether the condition was incurred in service or if it is secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The case will be reviewed with additional medical evidence and a VA examination.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to new evidence and outstanding records. The claims for right ankle, left ankle, right knee, left knee, lumbar spine, weakness and lack of coordination of legs, radiculopathy of lower extremity, PTSD with dissociative symptoms and derealization, allergic rhinitis, headache disability, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic sinusitis, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, respiratory disability, cervical spine disability, tremors of hands, and costochondritis are being remanded for further development.

The Board has decided that there is not substantial compliance with the September 2019 remand directives and has ordered further development for service connection claims related to IBS, arthritis of the hands, and numbness of the hands.

The Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches are granted at a rating of 60 percent, effective from October 2008. The Board also found that her facial rash disorder is related to military service and granted service connection for it.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a disorder of the colon, including diverticulitis status post colectomy and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions were incurred during active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical examinations and a need for further development, including obtaining additional medical records.