The veteran's claim for payment of unauthorized medical expenses is being remanded due to the lack of VA records and clinical reports from various physicians. The case will be reviewed again with all pertinent regulations and judicial mandates, and a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) will be prepared if necessary.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on insufficient evidence in the file regarding the veteran's medical history and care provided by VA and private physicians during his illness.
- Claimed conditions
- ulcerative colitis, fistula
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 15, 2005
- Citation
- 0504055
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0504055.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C, ulcerative colitis, lung disease, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- 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.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.