The Board grants service connection for ulcerative colitis, finding a direct link between the condition and the Veteran's military service due to exposure to environmental toxins in Southwest Asia.
The deciding factor: The private medical opinion provided evidence that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's ulcerative colitis resulted from exposure to various airborne contaminants from burn pits and other toxins while stationed in Iraq during service, leading to a grant of service connection on a direct basis.
- Claimed conditions
- ulcerative colitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- May 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25045180
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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