The veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his service-connected gastroenteritis and discogenic disease at L4-L5 and T11-T12 and T10-T11 require further development, including a VA examination to determine the current severity of these conditions.
The deciding factor: Further medical evaluation is necessary to assess the current severity of the veteran's service-connected gastrointestinal disability and back disorder, as well as to determine if there has been any increase or decrease in severity since the prior examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- gastroenteritis, discogenic disease at L4-L5 and T11-T12 and T10-T11
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2008
- Citation
- 0815222
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a compensable rating and an increased rating for gastritis, gastroenteritis, and GERD to obtain a retrospective medical opinion on the severity of the Veteran's symptoms without the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for chronic sinusitis, fibromyalgia, left and right ear hearing loss, and gastroenteritis, but granted service connection for migraine headaches. The claims for an initial evaluation higher than 30 percent for chronic sinusitis and 20 percent for fibromyalgia were also denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability, to include gastroenteritis, as there was no evidence of a current disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for gastritis, finding new and relevant evidence that the Veteran's current diagnosis of gastritis had its onset in service.
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