The Board has remanded the case to obtain updated treatment records and schedule a VA examination to determine if any current gastrointestinal disorder, including irritable bowel syndrome and functional bowel syndrome, is related to service. The Veteran's statements of continuity will be considered in forming an opinion.
The deciding factor: The examiner must address whether any current gastrointestinal disorder, including the resolved functional bowel disorder, was present during or after service and if it is at least as likely as not (50% probability) related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, functional bowel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19180528
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 claims for service connection for Parkinson's disease/parkinsonism, a gastrointestinal disorder, a speech disorder, and essential tremor due to an inadequate VA examination.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of February 13, 2024 for a 30 percent rating for irritable bowel syndrome.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome. The Board also denied an increased rating for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric condition.
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