The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's gastrointestinal disability. The claim will be returned for further development and an adequate etiology opinion.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the August 2019 VA examiner’s legal conclusion was inadequate, as it did not provide a medical opinion based on the evidence of record.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic constipation, abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastrointestinal disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19186247
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 the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, with the exception of remanding certain issues.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for gastrointestinal disability and denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for allergic rhinitis, migraine headaches, PTSD, and tinnitus. The Board also denied increased ratings for allergic rhinitis and tinnitus and remanded claims for service connection for right elbow disability.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for fibromyalgia was granted with an effective date of August 14, 2023. The appeals for earlier effective dates and higher ratings were denied.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.