The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic diarrhea (claimed as gastroenteritis) because the evidence did not support a causal relationship between his in-service viral gastroenteritis and his current condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no competent medical evidence to support a nexus between the Veteran’s in-service gastroenteritis and his current chronic diarrhea, despite the Veteran's lay assertions of continuity of symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic diarrhea, gastroenteritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2019
- Citation
- A19001628
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic diarrhea, headaches, and neck pain for initial adjudication on the merits by the AOJ.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a compensable rating and an increased rating for gastritis, gastroenteritis, and GERD to obtain a retrospective medical opinion on the severity of the Veteran's symptoms without the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for chronic sinusitis, fibromyalgia, left and right ear hearing loss, and gastroenteritis, but granted service connection for migraine headaches. The claims for an initial evaluation higher than 30 percent for chronic sinusitis and 20 percent for fibromyalgia were also denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability, to include gastroenteritis, as there was no evidence of a current disability.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.