The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding VA and private treatment records, as well as an addendum medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cholelithiasis with primary sclerosing cholangitis.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for additional evidence and a medical opinion related to the Veteran's Gulf War service exposure and his diagnosed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- cholelithiasis, primary sclerosing cholangitis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19154583
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 19154583.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for colitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and cholangiocarcinoma as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected vitiligo.
- Granted
The Veteran's cholelithiasis, status-post cholecystectomy, has been rated at 30 percent since the decision was made. The rating is for severe symptoms including abdominal pain and chronic diarrhea.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial compensable evaluation for cholelithiasis with subsequent gallbladder removal is denied as she has not been shown to have moderate cholecystitis or mild symptoms resulting from the procedure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with prior remand directives and a need for further medical opinions regarding whether pain medications used for service-connected low back disability caused or aggravated gallbladder disability.
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