The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hemorrhoids, a psychiatric disorder, a low back disorder, and a lung disorder. The evidence does not support these claims as they are all related to conditions that did not have their onset during active service or within the first post-service year.
The deciding factor: The medical records do not provide sufficient evidence to establish that any of the claimed conditions had their onset during active service or within one year after separation from service, and there is no clear link between current diagnoses and military service.
- Claimed conditions
- hemorrhoids, low back disorder, lung disorder (presumably related to smoking), psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2003
- Citation
- 0311657
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 0311657.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for hemorrhoids due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, requiring an additional direct medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted a 10 percent rating for hemorrhoids, which fully satisfies the Veteran's appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for vertigo, incontinence, and GERD due to the lack of evidence supporting current diagnoses. The claims for hematuria and hemorrhoids were remanded for further development.
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