The Board has granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, finding that the Veteran's diagnosis of this condition is a qualifying chronic disability under Persian Gulf Veterans' Act. Service connection was denied for a headache disorder due to lack of evidence linking it to military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's headaches were not likely related to his in-service diagnosis with Lyme disease or any associated residuals, and definitively stated they were not caused by or a result of prior military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Headache Disorder, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 14, 2010
- Citation
- 1034552
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 1034552.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Headache Disorder due to lack of in-service diagnosis or treatment, and the absence of a causal relationship between these conditions and service. The claim for Headache Disorder is remanded for further evaluation.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of May 19, 2024, for a separate 10 percent rating for GERD. The decision states that prior to this date, ratings for GERD and Irritable Bowel Syndrome could not be combined due to VA regulations at the time.
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