BVA decisions by condition
Irritable colon syndrome: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a irritable colon syndrome issue in 1,081 decisions. It granted the irritable colon syndrome issue in 48.7% of them, above the 19.9% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 42.5%, and remanded it in 10.1%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 53.4% were granted.
Decisions
1,081
2018–2026
Granted
48.7%
All conditions: 19.9%
Granted on the merits
53.4%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
10.1%
Denied: 42.5%
Irritable colon syndrome outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 69 | 43.5% | 46.4% | 8.7% |
| 2019 | 89 | 49.4% | 42.7% | 12.4% |
| 2020 | 106 | 41.5% | 45.3% | 15.1% |
| 2021 | 120 | 43.3% | 48.3% | 11.7% |
| 2022 | 89 | 49.4% | 39.3% | 12.4% |
| 2023 | 108 | 52.8% | 33.3% | 13.0% |
| 2024 | 171 | 53.8% | 40.9% | 8.2% |
| 2025 | 266 | 48.9% | 44.4% | 6.8% |
| 2026 | 63 | 52.4% | 38.1% | 7.9% |
Evidence in granted and denied irritable colon syndrome decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the irritable colon syndrome issue on the merits when the decision mentioned it, compared with decisions that did not. These are associations, not causes, and evidence is recorded per decision, not per issue.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorable VA exam | 237 | 70.1% | 48.3% | +21.9 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 191 | 70.7% | 49.5% | +21.2 pts |
| Combat service | 78 | 68.1% | 52.3% | +15.8 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 55 | 67.6% | 52.9% | +14.8 pts |
| Lay statement | 945 | 55.0% | 42.1% | +12.8 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 374 | 52.4% | 53.9% | −1.6 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 72 | 51.4% | 53.6% | −2.1 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 66.7% of the decisions that granted irritable colon syndrome.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 37.6% of grants and 12.6% of denials.
Negative evidence in the record
An unfavorable exam or a negative nexus opinion often sits in the same record as favorable evidence, and the Board weighs them against each other. So these rows show how often irritable colon syndrome was still granted when the record contained the negative item, not that the item helped.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative nexus opinion | 485 | 50.6% | 55.6% | −5.0 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 937 | 51.1% | 68.2% | −17.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied irritable colon syndrome
Most common reasons in grants
- Already at the maximum schedular rating44
- Current diagnosis established14
- Veteran served in southwest asia during persian gulf war11
- More or less constant abdominal distress9
- Frequent episodes of bowel disturbance with abdominal distress9
- Frequent episodes of bowel disturbance6
- Presumptive service connection under 38 u.s.c. § 1117 and 38 c.f.r. § 3.3175
- Presumptive service connection for ibs4
Most common reasons in denials
- Already at the maximum schedular rating96
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim41
- Extraschedular consideration not warranted6
- Symptoms did not meet criteria for higher rating6
- No frequent episodes of bowel disturbance with abdominal distress5
- Symptoms do not meet criteria for higher rating5
- Symptoms consistent with 10 percent rating3
- Symptoms do not meet criteria for compensable rating3
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent irritable colon syndrome decisions
Granted
Symptoms met criteria for severe irritable colon syndrome (diarrhea, abdominal distress).; Benefit of the doubt applied to grant the 30% rating.; Considered both prior and revised rating criteria, applying the more favorable standard.
Greater weight assigned to private medical opinion; Deficient VA examination for chronic diarrhea; Credible lay testimony of symptoms since service
Private DBQ found severe IBS symptoms; VA exam noted moderate IBS symptoms; Board found IBS met 30% criteria
Denied
Evidence does not show moderate IBS with frequent episodes of bowel disturbance with abdominal distress.; Symptoms primarily consist of diarrhea, not meeting criteria for compensable rating.; Veteran's reported symptoms are credible but do not meet severity thresholds for higher rating.
Veteran's gastrointestinal disability primarily manifested by frequent diarrhea and intermittent abdominal pain.; Evidence did not show severe impairment of health required for 60% rating.; Board assigns greater weight to contemporaneous evidence showing less frequent pancreatitis exacerbations during appeal period.
Veteran already receiving maximum rating under DC 7319; Amended rating criteria did not warrant higher rating
Rules that apply to irritable colon syndrome claims
- 38 CFR 3.303
Principles of service connection
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your irritable colon syndrome case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Rates count decisions in which the Board decided a irritable colon syndrome issue, by the outcome of that issue. Other issues in the same decision can have different outcomes.
- “Granted on the merits” leaves out remands and dismissals. “All conditions” is the grant share across every condition issue in the data.
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2018–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.