The Veteran's gastrointestinal signs or symptoms are found to be due to an undiagnosed illness and have been granted service connection. The right and left knee, foot and ankle disabilities, as well as the ear drum ruptures and back disability remain pending for further examination and determination.
The deciding factor: Service connection is established based on objective indications of a qualifying chronic disability that became manifest during active military service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastrointestinal signs or symptoms (including diarrhea, bloating, gas pain), Right knee disability, Left knee disability, Right foot and ankle disabilities, Right ear drum rupture, Left ear drum rupture, Back disability (including cervical spine)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19119209
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19119209.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim for bilateral knee disabilities and his right and left knee scars have been granted. He is now rated at a combined 60% disability rating from June 1, 2018 based on bilateral factors for his bilateral knee disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's entitlement to higher level of SMC at the intermediate rate is granted, effective from January 8, 2021. He was previously in need of aid and attendance due to his left knee disability since February 1, 2017, and now has additional disabilities rated at 50 percent or more.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that his current diagnosis of right knee strain is related to his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to their death.
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