The Veteran's digestive system disability, including diverticulosis and anal fissures, is not related to military service. The Board finds that the weight of the competent evidence does not attribute the Veteran's digestive system disability to military service despite his contentions to the contrary.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA examiners determined that the etiology of the Veteran's diverticulosis is due to aging and low fiber diet, and less likely than not related to an in-service anal fissure event.
- Claimed conditions
- diverticulosis, anal fissures
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2018
- Citation
- 1804988
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 1804988.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for vertigo, itchy eyes, stuffy nose, and nasal congestion, coughing, anal bleeding, and anal fissures on a direct basis. A 30 percent rating was also granted for cervical spine degenerative disc disease.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diverticulosis, GERD, and hiatal hernia as the evidence did not show a link to an in-service disease or injury.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as remanded several other claims for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for kidney stones, diverticulosis, and hemorrhoids based on their relationship to the Veteran's active service.
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