The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including an intramedullary ependymoma of T12-L2 and various gastrointestinal and genitourinary issues. The Board found that these conditions were not due to disease or injury incurred in service, nor could they be presumed to have been caused by exposure to herbicides (Agent Orange).
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the veteran's intramedullary ependymoma of T12-L2 was not related to his service and did not arise from any disease or injury. The same held true for the various gastrointestinal and genitourinary issues, which were also deemed unrelated to service.
- Claimed conditions
- fecal incontinence, intramedullary ependymoma of T12-L2
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2003
- Citation
- 0313049
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 0313049.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted earlier effective dates for service connection of left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve; right lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve; and fecal incontinence, all from May 7, 2012. An increased rating of 20 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, was also granted effective November 30, 2018.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for flat feet, irritable bowel syndrome, duodenal gastritis, and fecal incontinence to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for fecal incontinence as secondary to the Veteran's colon cancer residuals and denied a TDIU prior to April 21, 2024 and a higher rating for heart disability prior to that date. The claim for a higher rating for colon cancer residuals was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of hypertension and remanded several other claims, including those for brain damage, memory loss, vertigo, seizures, acquired psychiatric disability, urinary incontinence, and fecal incontinence.
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