The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and a rating for gastrointestinal disabilities, including GERD and diverticulitis, as well as chronic fatigue syndrome. The Veteran is also being asked to provide authorization for VA to obtain his private medical records related to these conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not contain sufficient competent medical evidence to decide the claims of service connection and rating for gastrointestinal disabilities other than IBS, including GERD and diverticulitis, as well as chronic fatigue syndrome. Further examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Diverticulitis, Chronic fatigue syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176392
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting VA examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal was withdrawn by the Veteran before the Board promulgated a decision.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 5, 2018, for the award of service connection for PTSD and denied earlier effective dates for erectile dysfunction, left ear hearing loss, migraines, and other conditions.
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