The Board finds that the Veteran's residuals of a colonoscopy and bowel perforation surgery are not related to VA carelessness, negligence, or lack of proper skill in providing a December 2008 colonoscopy. The Veteran's current gastrointestinal complaints predate his 2008 procedure.
The deciding factor: The March 2016 VA clinician opined that there was no evidence of negligence, carelessness, lack of skill, or poor judgment in treating the Veteran following his December 2008 colonoscopy which resulted in a bowel perforation requiring surgical repair. She also concluded that none of the Veteran's current gastrointestinal complaints were caused by his colonoscopy or bowel perforation surgical repair.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), bloating, stomach pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2017
- Citation
- 1711231
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 1711231.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Dupuytren's contracture of the left hand, right hand, and GERD is remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and failure to consider toxic exposure risk activities during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's GERD is currently rated at 10 percent disabling, but the Board found that his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), finding that both conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lower back condition and sinusitis, respectively.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for bladder cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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