The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to determine the relationship between the Veteran's pancreatic cancer and his military service, including in-service treatment for gastritis, as well as whether he had an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness related to his Gulf War service. The Board also needs to obtain any outstanding records from Dr. J.R.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a remand is necessary due to the need for additional medical opinions and the need to obtain outstanding records.
- Claimed conditions
- pancreatic cancer, gastritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19100892
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for pancreatic cancer as there was no evidence of a nexus between the in-service toxic exposure and the current condition.
- Granted
The Board granted a rating of 60 percent from January 27, 2016 to July 7, 2022 for the Veteran's duodenal ulcer, duodenitis, gastritis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for pancreatic cancer, finding that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's condition was due to his in-service exposure to toxic and environmental hazards.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a compensable rating and an increased rating for gastritis, gastroenteritis, and GERD to obtain a retrospective medical opinion on the severity of the Veteran's symptoms without the ameliorative effects of medication.
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