The Board granted service connection for ulcerative colitis, status post total colectomy and ileostomy, finding that the evidence was at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's condition is related to his exposure to herbicide agents during service.
The deciding factor: The May 2015 opinion of the treating physician, who diagnosed and treated the Veteran for many years, concluded that the Veteran's ulcerative colitis was likely caused by his in-service exposure to toxins in Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- ulcerative colitis, status post total colectomy and ileostomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21063094
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 Board granted a 30 percent rating for ulcerative colitis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms most closely approximate moderately severe ulcerative colitis with frequent exacerbations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of ulcerative colitis to address whether it is secondary to a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board granted a request to readjudicate the claim of service connection for ulcerative colitis based on new and relevant evidence, but remanded the issue for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a higher initial rating of 100 percent for ulcerative colitis and denied increased ratings for lumbar paraspinal tendonitis, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.
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