The appeal is remanded to the RO for additional development, including obtaining medical records and possibly scheduling an examination with a VA psychiatrist.
The deciding factor: Further development is required as the previous remand instructions were not fully complied with, specifically regarding contact with treating physicians who may have opinions linking the veteran's esophageal condition to his service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal achalasia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2009
- Citation
- 0903443
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for IBS and esophageal achalasia but remanded decisions on Crohn's disease, constant urination, hypertension, bruxism, degenerative disc disease, low back condition, and neck condition.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
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