The Board granted the appellant's eligibility to receive direct payment of attorney fees from past due benefits awarded in an August 2024 rating decision granting a higher IBS rating.
The deciding factor: The continuous pursuit of a higher initial rating for IBS, as evidenced by the April 2024 and May 2024 claims, established eligibility for direct payment of attorney fees under the AMA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25057700
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of September 2, 2020, for the grant of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but denied a higher initial rating and TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as there was no competent or credible evidence of a current diagnosis during the appellate period.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings, except for a granted 30 percent rating for headache disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for thoracolumbar spine disorder and cervical pain but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also granted ratings of 10 percent or 20 percent for several conditions from specific dates.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.