The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for chronic pancreatitis and internal varices, both claimed as secondary to service-connected hypertension and coronary artery disease. The remand is due to deficiencies in a previous medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The previous medical opinion did not address explicitly the likelihood that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his current conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic pancreatitis, internal varices (claimed as gastric and/or esophageal varices)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19190544
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 19190544.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus, Type 2 as secondary to the chronic pancreatitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for chronic pancreatitis to obtain additional medical opinions regarding its etiology, particularly in relation to toxic exposures during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for chronic pancreatitis as more evidence is needed to determine if it is related to the Veteran's service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic pancreatitis as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD, finding that the Veteran's alcohol abuse, which was linked to his PTSD, caused his chronic pancreatitis.
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