IBS & irritable bowel decisions — 2023

The Board denied service connection for GERD with hiatal hernia and IBS, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not start during or are otherwise related to his active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability, psychiatric disability (other specified trauma or stressor related disorder), chronic neck disability, chronic back disability, IBS, and vertigo is granted. The claims for service connection for the neck and back disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional medical opinions regarding his sleep apnea, left foot disability, and back disability. The claims for service connection are related to secondary theories of entitlement.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions regarding her service-connected left colectomy with chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as her midline abdomen residual scar.

The Board has denied the Veteran's surviving spouse's claims for service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, sleep apnea, right ankle condition, and arthritis of the left shoulder as DIC benefits because she remarried after his death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar spine DDD, hypertension, heart disability (claimed as a heart attack and stent), gastrointestinal disorder (IBS), and skin cancer due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has denied service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the issues of initial compensable evaluation for tension headaches, service connection for hypothyroidism, and service connection for constipation (claimed as irritable bowel syndrome).

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's IBS is related to service, particularly Gulf War exposure. The case will be reviewed with a focus on determining if there are any medical opinions that can support or refute this claim.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various conditions, including back disability, IBS, CFS, fibromyalgia, tremors of the hands, white matter disease, and numbness of the head and face. Additional evidence was uploaded after the last adjudication in December 2019.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including IBS, anxiety disorder, and low back pain, render him unable to engage in substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, arthritis of the left and right upper extremities, and gastrointestinal disorder (irritable bowel syndrome).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD, IBS, and tinnitus) are found to preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment. Therefore, a total disability rating based on individual unemployability is granted.

The Board has denied service connection for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), as the preexisting conditions did not worsen during service. SMC based on aid and attendance or housebound status is also denied.

The Veteran's appeal of the July 2018 rating decision, which implemented a July 2016 Board decision granting an earlier effective date for his service-connected IBS with cholelithiasis, was dismissed as it is not possible to appeal a pure implementation of a grant of benefits.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for irritable bowel syndrome and tinnitus have been dismissed as the new evidence submitted did not meet the criteria to reopen the claims.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all pending claims, including service connection and rating issues.

The Board has determined that the RO did not schedule VA medical examinations for the Veteran before deciding his claims, and thus there is a pre-decisional error. The claims are REMANDED to allow for VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is granted a 30 percent evaluation, the highest schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 7319.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for IBS was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. Service connection is granted based on presumptive exposure to toxic substances in Southwest Asia during his Gulf War service.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Fibromyalgia due to a lack of VA examinations and opinions.