The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for clarification on the etiology of the Veteran's gastrointestinal disorders. The claims are related to exposure during service, including contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, jet fuel exposure, asbestos exposure, mercury exposure, and drug treatment.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner is required to provide an opinion regarding whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s gastrointestinal disorders had onset in or are otherwise related to active service, specifically due to exposures during service.
- Claimed conditions
- GERD, gastritis, PUD, chronic diarrhea, constipation
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19130299
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 multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a head injury, headache disorder, erectile dysfunction, left earache disorder, chronic fatigue, right shoulder disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, right foot disorder, GERD, and left shoulder disorder, as the evidence did not support current diagnoses of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic diarrhea, headaches, and neck pain for initial adjudication on the merits by the AOJ.
- 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).
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