The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a small bowel resection due to a GIST is being remanded as the Board finds that the question of whether VA failed to exercise the degree of care expected from a reasonable health care provider should be addressed by a gastroenterologist or oncologist.
The deciding factor: The Board requires clarification on whether VA's failure to timely diagnose and treat the GIST led to the Veteran's current additional disability, which would have been avoided with an earlier CT scan.
- Claimed conditions
- GIST (previously diagnosed as iron deficiency anemia)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2020
- Citation
- A20009209
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 A20009209.
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
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- Granted
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