The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for chronic maxillary sinusitis, erosive esophagitis, and stomach cancer due to exposure to D1-2 Ethylhexyl Phthalate (DOP). The VA is instructed to obtain all relevant records and schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his claimed disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the May 2014 VA opinions were inadequate due to lack of adequate rationale, and thus remanded the claims for further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic maxillary sinusitis, erosive esophagitis, stomach cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19191539
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,614 · Granted: 35% (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 19191539.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in developing evidence related to possible ionizing radiation exposure and TERA participation. The claim will be reconsidered with proper development of this information.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable disability rating for chronic maxillary sinusitis and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder are being remanded due to deficiencies in the prior examinations and potential errors in obtaining necessary medical opinions.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be stomach cancer, but the Board found no evidence linking it to his service or any service-connected conditions. The claim for service connection is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's chronic maxillary sinusitis is granted an initial rating of 30 percent, but not higher, for the entire period on appeal.
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