The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to November 12, 1996, for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The decision found that no earlier effective date could be assigned as there was no contemporaneous evidence of entitlement to individual unemployability within the nine-month period following the February 23, 1996 Board decision.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that any medical opinion asserting unemployability before November 12, 1996 by virtue of service-connected disability would be speculative due to lack of contemporaneous evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- irritable bowel syndrome, residuals of colostomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2000
- Citation
- 0007258
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0007258.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a head injury, headache disorder, erectile dysfunction, left earache disorder, chronic fatigue, right shoulder disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, right foot disorder, GERD, and left shoulder disorder, as the evidence did not support current diagnoses of these conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of February 13, 2024 for a 30 percent rating for irritable bowel syndrome.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome. The Board also denied an increased rating for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric condition.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a deviated septum and chronic sore throat, dismissed the issue of a sinus condition, and remanded claims for asthma, hypertension, and irritable bowel syndrome.
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