The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for chronic constipation and thoracolumbar strain with mild levoscoliosis are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has provided testimony indicating her service-connected disabilities have worsened since the last VA examination, necessitating further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic constipation, thoracolumbar strain with mild levoscoliosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19195297
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,549 · Granted: 29% (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 19195297.
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 partial pancreatectomy with chronic constipation is currently rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum rating available under current criteria. The Board finds that her symptoms do not warrant a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the July 2024 fee decision is incomplete and does not properly identify the full issue at the center of the present appeal, including the specific amount of past-due benefits awarded and the amount withheld for fees. The case is therefore being remanded to provide a corrected fee decision.
- Dismissed
Your appeal has been dismissed because you withdrew your request to continue the appeal on July 30, 2025.
- Denied
The Veteran's chronic constipation was not manifested by moderate symptoms, including frequent episodes of bowel disturbance with abdominal distress. Therefore, the claim for an initial compensable evaluation is denied.
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