The Board found that the veteran's postoperative hemorrhoids and anal fistula were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as they clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service. The atrophy of the left testicle was also determined to be unrelated to a period of active duty for training.
The deciding factor: The preexisting conditions were not shown to have been aggravated during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Postoperative hemorrhoids, Anal fistula, Atrophy of the left testicle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2002
- Citation
- 0217943
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 0217943.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including Fournier's gangrene of the scrotum with loss of right testicle, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, anal fistula, Hepatitis B & C, GERD, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, due to a need for additional development regarding herbicide agent and ionizing radiation exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded for further development and opinion regarding the Veteran's service connection claims, including those related to toxin exposure at Giessen Army Depot in Germany.
- Granted
The Veteran's pilonidal cyst and recurrent anal fistula have been rated at 20 percent since February 25, 2008. The current condition does not warrant a higher rating as there are no scars covering more than 72 square inches or five or more unstable or painful scars.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including hearing loss, dental issues, foot pain, cardiac arrest residuals, pneumonia-related pulmonary granuloma, psychiatric disorder, kidney stones, back injury, hemorrhoids, anal fistula, erectile dysfunction, skin disorders, and varicose veins have been granted. The effective date is not specified.
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