The Veteran is seeking compensation for anal fistulas, which she believes were caused by VA's failure to properly diagnose and treat rectal damage. The Board has determined that the current medical opinion is inadequate and requires a remand for further examination.
The deciding factor: The current medical opinion did not address whether the additional disability (anal fistula) resulted from an event not reasonably foreseeable, including complications associated with multiple surgeries in 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- anal fistulas
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005926
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.
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