The Veteran's peripheral vascular disease and degenerative joint and disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine were not found to be related to his service-connected post-operative status bowel resection. The Veteran’s fecal incontinence was rated at 10 percent, but no higher rating is granted.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the peripheral vascular disease and degenerative joint and disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine were not caused or aggravated by his service-connected post-operative status bowel resection.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral vascular disease, Degenerative joint and disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, Post-operative status bowel resection, carcinoma of the cecum and bowel, Fecal incontinence
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19127046
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
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- Remanded (sent back)
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- Remanded (sent back)
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for peripheral vascular disease, a heart disability manifested by chest pain (including coronary artery disease but not carotid artery disease), and carotid artery disease as the weight of evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were present in service or are related to an incident of service origin.
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