IBS & irritable bowel decisions — 2022

The Board has granted service connection for a lower back disability, right and left lower leg disabilities (shin splints), and digestive condition (IBS) as all meet the criteria of direct service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's gastrointestinal disability. The appeal for service connection and TDIU benefits is also being remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including gastrointestinal symptoms, bilateral hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, alopecia, headaches, and sciatica. The cases are being remanded for additional examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's CFS is granted a disability rating of 60 percent for the entire period on appeal. The issue of entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for IBS is remanded.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted due to his service-connected disabilities making it impossible for him to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service connection for back acne was granted. However, his claim for an increased rating for colonic dysplasia with polyps to include irritable bowel syndrome was denied.

The Veteran's initial 30 percent rating for IBS with GERD is granted prior to August 9, 2018. The appeal for service connection of other gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal conditions remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for IBS, GERD (claimed as esophageal erosions), and PTSD have been granted. The claim for a heart disability is remanded.

The appeal of entitlement to service connection for endometritis is dismissed. The Veteran's claim of an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD with major depressive disorder and service connection for colitis, to include irritable bowel syndrome and cryptitis are remanded.

The Veteran's IBS and hemorrhoids are granted service connection. Service connection for fibromyalgia, hypertension, and hypertensive heart disease is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU as her combined disability rating is at least 70 percent, but she cannot secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to her PTSD and other service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's IBS with hiatal hernia is rated at a maximum of 30 percent since May 1, 1999.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his depressive disorder, bilateral knee disabilities, IBS, migraine headaches, spinal stenosis, and radiculopathies, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation in his previous employment as an oil driller. The Board has granted a TDIU effective from February 2, 2015.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings of his left groin scars and IBS, as well as his request to reopen service connection for a cervical spine strain with disc bulging at C5-6, were dismissed. The appeal for service connection for the left varicocele was remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a headache disability is granted. The claims for service connection for a skin disability and IBS are remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to new evidence being added to the claim file.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for IBS was denied, and his claim for a separate 60 percent disability rating for loss of sphincter control secondary to IBS was granted. The decision also noted that the Veteran is in receipt of the highest schedule disability rating for his IBS as of November 10, 2010.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected residuals of a left femur fracture.,Service connection has also been granted for erectile dysfunction (ED) as secondary to service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).,However, the claim for gastrointestinal disorder, to include IBS and GERD, is denied. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are due to an undiagnosed illness or other qualifying chronic disability.

Major depressive disorder, diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, and hypertension have been granted service connection.,Alcohol use disorder is remanded for a VA medical opinion.