The Veteran's appeals for a rating in excess of 20 percent for a lumbar spine disability, service connection for polyneuropathy of the extremities, and service connection for hypertension have been dismissed. The Veteran is granted an initial 30 percent rating for IBS-C over the entire appeal period.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Veteran's IBS-C resulted in more or less constant abdominal distress with symptoms such as bloating, abdominal distension, constipation, and infrequent bowel movements with straining and anal bleeding.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, polyneuropathy of the extremities, hypertension, IBS-C
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- January 5, 2021
- Citation
- 21000440
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 21000440.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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