The Board denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, finding no evidence of a causal link to the Veteran's period of active service.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome or spastic colon, and there is no documented gastrointestinal manifestation related to his treatment in service or shortly thereafter.
- Claimed conditions
- Diverticulosis, Esophageal Ulcers, GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), Hiatal Hernia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2009
- Citation
- 0911420
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,599 · Granted: 37% (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 0911420.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of rationale in the VA examiner's opinion and an inconsistency between the examination report and nexus opinion.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome is granted a rating of 30 percent, the maximum schedular rating under Diagnostic Code 7319. Service connection for migraine headaches as secondary to service connected tinnitus and PTSD is also granted.
- Whole decision: Granted
An effective date of September 7, 2018 is granted for service connection of PTSD.,A higher initial rating for hiatal hernia prior to May 2, 2017 is denied.,TDIU from September 7, 2018 is granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability, including hiatal hernia and GERD, is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions. The Board finds that new evidence has been submitted but does not consider it relevant to the current decision.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.