The Board has remanded the case for further development due to an incomplete medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's GERD and hiatal hernia.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a clear opinion on the likely etiology of the Veteran's GERD, including whether it is related to service or caused by a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2018
- Citation
- 1801997
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 1801997.
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 matters for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, right inguinal hernia, non allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), while granting service connection for left knee strain and left leg shin splints.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastritis, Barrett's esophagus, and obstructive sleep apnea but dismissed the claim for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
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