The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and to determine the current severity of her service-connected hiatal hernia, cholecystectomy residuals, steatohepatitis with hepatomegaly and hemangioma of the liver, and IBS. The VA will also need to obtain medical records from December 2018 to the present.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that new VA examinations are necessary to determine the current severity of her service-connected esophageal and liver disabilities due to a change in symptomology since her last examination, and because it is not clear what symptoms should be attributed to the cholecystectomy. Additionally, there is an indication that IBS is associated with her active duty service but insufficient medical nexus to grant service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), status-post cholecystectomy, mild gastritis, steatohepatitis with hepatomegaly and hemangioma of the liver, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19188654
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 19188654.
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
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