The Board denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to lack of evidence showing that VA treatment caused or aggravated his gastric ulcer, finding that it was less likely than not caused by VA carelessness, negligence, or similar fault.
The deciding factor: The Board found the VA examiner's opinion inadequate as it did not clarify whether the Veteran's use of Etodolac (a prescribed medication) caused or aggravated his gastrointestinal disability. The Board concluded that the side effects of the medication were reasonably foreseeable and explained to the Veteran, thus meeting the standard for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.
- Claimed conditions
- gastric ulcer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19188141
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,104 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19188141.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection of hiatal hernia and increased rating for otitis media with bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for chronic constipation, chronic kidney disease, erectile dysfunction, gastric ulcer, and hypertension due to potential exposure during service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for gastrointestinal disorders including GERD, gastritis, gastric ulcer and hiatal hernia due to incomplete medical opinions and failure to consider all relevant evidence.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches, sleep apnea, gastric ulcer, and depressive disorder are granted.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disability, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, and central nervous system disability (including syncope or pseudomeningocele) are remanded.
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