The Board has granted service connection for GERD and substance abuse disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorders. The heart disorder and IBS claims are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board will need additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran’s diarrhea (IBS) and heart disorder, specifically whether they were caused or aggravated by his constipation and laxatives, and substance abuse disorder respectively.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Substance abuse disorder, Heart disorder, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002954
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 remands the matters for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, right inguinal hernia, non allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), while granting service connection for left knee strain and left leg shin splints.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
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