The Veteran's disability rating for esophagus stricture was reduced from 50% to 30%, effective March 21, 2013. The Board found that the reduction was not proper and restored the original 50% evaluation.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not demonstrate actual improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work.
- Claimed conditions
- esophagus stricture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19189541
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (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 19189541.
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 claims for earlier effective dates for esophagus stricture and gastroesophageal reflux disease were denied as the evidence did not support a finding that he had submitted his claims prior to June 13, 2012.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical strain, esophagus stricture, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and migraine headaches due to untimely notice of disagreement. The appeal for B-cell lymphoma was remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's esophagus stricture and remanded a claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and obstructive sleep apnea, sleep hypopnea.,The Board also dismissed the claim of service connection for gastroenteritis. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of gastroenteritis during the pendency of the claim.
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