The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded to obtain additional medical records, schedule the Veteran for VA examinations, and address his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that a remand is necessary to ensure compliance with prior directives and to obtain all relevant medical records and evaluations.
- Claimed conditions
- Status Post Biopsy of Mouth Lesion, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) with Barrett’s esophagus, hypertrophic gastritis, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with Alcohol Use Disorder, Left Shoulder Arthritis, Bridge of Nose Scar with Two Residual Neck Scars, Status Post Basal Cell Carcinoma, Scar Residual of the Left Outer Thigh, Status Post Biopsy of Basal Cell Carcinoma, Scar Residual of the Right Forearm, Status Post Biopsy of Basal Cell Carcinoma, Scar of the Right Calf, Status Post Biopsy of Basal Cell Carcinoma, Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Left Shoulder, Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Left Upper Arm, Posterior Torso Scar Residuals of the Left Upper and Mid Upper Back, Status Post Biopsies of Basal Cell Carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19188640
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,092 · Granted: 42% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19188640.
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 Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder (PTSD with alcohol use disorder) is denied for a total disability rating as the frequency, severity, and duration of her symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his left shoulder disability and bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the Veteran requesting to withdraw the appeal for left shoulder scars.,For the period on appeal, the Veteran's left shoulder disability is manifested by limitation of motion at shoulder level with flexion and/or abduction limited to 90 degrees. The Veteran's other impairment of humerus did not manifest by fibrous union, nonunion, or loss of head.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability, finding that his current condition is related to his active military service and not due to any pre-existing condition. The decision also notes that he had no injuries or events during service but did experience pain and stiffness in his left shoulder which worsened over time.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with alcohol use disorder, and denied increased ratings for PTSD with alcohol use disorder and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.
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