The Veteran's cricopharyngeal muscle hypertrophy and stricture of the esophagus are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, and slow GI motility with moderate tertiary contractions.
The deciding factor: The examiner is needed to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's cricopharyngeal muscle hypertrophy is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- cricopharyngeal muscle hypertrophy, Schatzki ring stricture of the esophagus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18136156
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 18136156.
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 determined that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's cricopharyngeal muscle hypertrophy (also claimed as Schatzki ring stricture of the esophagus) is aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, and/or slow gastrointestinal (GI) motility with moderate tertiary contractions.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
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