The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome is presumed to have been incurred in active service, and the Board finds that he has a chronic unexplained multisymptom illness characterized as irritable bowel syndrome. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome is presumed to have been incurred in active service due to his Gulf War service, and he has a chronic unexplained multisymptom illness characterized as irritable bowel syndrome. The claim for sleep apnea and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine requires additional medical examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Degenerative Disc Disease of the Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 30, 2011
- Citation
- 1137073
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 1137073.
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 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 1, 2025, for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not show that he was precluded from employment solely due to his service-connected conditions.
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