The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims for stomach disability, headaches, fibromyalgia, and muscle ache. However, further development is needed as the VA examiner did not provide a clear opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not clearly indicate whether or not the Veteran’s claimed disabilities can be confirmed and provided an extensive review of his claims file without providing a clear medical rationale for their opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- stomach disability (previously claimed as stomach condition and/or abdominal pain), headaches, fibromyalgia (claimed as musculoskeletal symptoms to include arthralgias and nerve pain), muscle ache (previously claimed as muscle pain)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20010243
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 20010243.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches was reopened due to new and material evidence, and the Board found that his current headaches are related to service. Service connection is granted.
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