The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for IBS with GERD, as his symptoms did not meet or nearly approximate the criteria for a 30 percent evaluation. The claims for increased ratings for right and left knee disabilities and service connection for bilateral hip pain were remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms of IBS with GERD do not rise to the level of considerable impairment, nor do they manifest by severe symptoms of alternating diarrhea and constipation with more or less constant abdominal distress. The January 2021 VA examination was found to be inadequate for adjudicative purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome with GERD (IBS with GERD), Patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee, Patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, Right hip pain, secondary to service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, Left hip pain, secondary to service-connected bilateral knee disabilities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 9, 2024
- Citation
- A24064698
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for depressive disorder and left hip pain, but granted service connection for lumbar left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and OSA but denied service connection for hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, right hip pain (secondary to knee disabilities), left ankle disability, and right ankle disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for right foot metatarsalgia, while remanding the other claims for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), pain of cervical and cervicothoracic regions, radicular pain and hypoesthesia of left upper extremity, pain and dysfunction of lumbar spine, right sciatic radicular pain, left sciatic radicular pain, right hip pain, left hip pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, post traumatic residual pain of right foot, and bilateral hearing loss.
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