The Veteran's gastrointestinal disability, including hiatal hernia and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as well as his plantar fasciitis and obstructive sleep apnea are all secondary to his service-connected ITP. The issues have been remanded for further evaluation.,The Veteran's ITP is already service connected, but the issue of whether these additional disabilities should be considered secondary to this condition remains unresolved.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal conditions are found to be secondary to his service-connected ITP. Further evidence is needed to determine if these conditions warrant separate ratings or if they can be combined under the current rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Neurocognitive Disorder"}, {"condition_name":"Gastrointestinal Disability (including hiatal hernia, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS))"}, {"condition_name":"Plantar Fasciitis"}, {"condition_name":"Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)"}, {"condition_name":"Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP)"}
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19124355
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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