The Board denied service connection for a digestive disability, including bilharzia (schistosomiasis), because the evidence did not show that the disability was incurred in or etiologically related to active service. The Veteran submitted new private medical records showing gastritis and helicobacter pylori but this evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.
The deciding factor: The new evidence does not address the etiological relationship between the Veteran's service and post-service development of bilharzia, gastritis, or helicobacter pylori.
- Claimed conditions
- digestive disability, bilharzia (schistosomiasis)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2018
- Citation
- 18142441
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 18142441.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 claim for a digestive disability to obtain an addendum medical opinion addressing the etiology of the condition.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a digestive disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active duty.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a digestive disability, to include GERD, as there is no evidence of a medical nexus between the condition and his military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's back disability and denied ratings in excess of 10 percent for acid reflux, as well as higher ratings for left and right femoral nerve radiculopathy. The Board also remanded several service connection claims.
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