The veteran's service connection for bloody stools as a manifestation of an undiagnosed illness was denied by the Board. The evidence did not show that he had a current disability manifested by bloody stools, and his bleeding was attributed to hemorrhoids which were already service-connected.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence establishing that the veteran currently has a disability manifested by bloody stools.
- Claimed conditions
- bloody stools
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2003
- Citation
- 0307061
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,710 · Granted: 15% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0307061.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's abdominal pain and bloody stools are found to be secondary to his service-connected depressive disorder, not otherwise specified, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. His left knee, right knee, bilateral eye, and respiratory disorders have been denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bruxism/teeth grinding, allergic rhinitis, bloody stools, dyspnea/trouble breathing, and various musculoskeletal and ear pain issues.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for intestinal bleeding and bloody stools, finding that there is no evidence linking these symptoms to his active military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a new VA examination to determine if his gastrointestinal symptoms are related to active service, including exposure to undiagnosed illnesses or other conditions associated with service in the Southwest Asia theater.
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