The Board found that the appellant's current abdominal disorders, including bowel perforation and fistulas, were not incurred or aggravated during his active duty training period. The pre-existing conditions worsened but did not permanently aggravate beyond their natural progression.
The deciding factor: An independent medical opinion concluded that the appellant's current symptoms were due to a pre-existing condition rather than being caused by his active duty training.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of colectomy, incisional hernia for rectal cancer, small bowel disease, bowel perforation, fistulas, other complications
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2014
- Citation
- 1403950
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1403950.
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: Denied
The Veteran's bowel perforation following a colonoscopy was not deemed to be caused by VA carelessness, negligence, or error in judgment. The Board found that the event did not result from an unforeseeable event.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's bowel perforation and resulting incisional hernia were not caused by VA carelessness, negligence, or similar fault. The Board finds the event was reasonably foreseeable.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's fecal incontinence, finding that it is aggravated by his service-connected IBS.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for colitis/Crohn's disease and fistulas, finding that the Veteran's condition was aggravated by his service-connected schizophrenia.
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