The Veteran's claim for service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder, including loose bowels and/or diarrhea, gastritis, colon polyps, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is being remanded due to the need for additional development. The VA will obtain his complete VA treatment records from March 2016 forward and schedule him for a VA gastrointestinal examination.
The deciding factor: The claim requires further medical evaluation to determine if any current gastrointestinal disorder had its clinical onset during active service or is related to any incident of service, including stress while serving on active duty. The examiner must also provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right ankle disability.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal disorder, loose bowels, diarrhea, gastritis, colon polyps, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2016
- Citation
- 1614150
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 1614150.
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 has remanded the case due to unclear evidence regarding the diagnosis of gastritis and its relation to service. The Veteran needs to provide records, and a VA examiner will review his medical history and determine if gastritis is related to his military service or any other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic lower back pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, neck pain, and GERD.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy and denied the claims for right knee disability, erectile dysfunction, GERD, sleep apnea, and hypertension. The decision is remanded for further action on these issues.
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