The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including PTSD and heart disorder, due to lack of evidence showing in-service disease or injury. The presumption of service connection applies for former prisoners of war.
The deciding factor: The veteran was a prisoner of war but did not have any documented psychological problems until after his release from captivity, which makes it unlikely that the current psychiatric disorders are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Cerebral Vascular Accident, Heart Disorder, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Psychiatric Disorder (including PTSD), Residuals of Cold Injury to Left Lower Extremity, Residuals of Cold Injury to Right Lower Extremity, Ulcers
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 13, 2004
- Citation
- 0409555
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 0409555.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, and pain of cervical & cervicothoracic regions.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of September 29, 2016 for the award of a 30 percent rating for irritable bowel syndrome.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is granted a 30 percent disability rating, but no higher. The claims for increased ratings and service connection for other conditions are denied.
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