The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and a need for additional examinations. The issues include gastric ulcers, gastritis with focal mucosal erosions and foveal hyperplasia, sliding hiatal hernia, esophageal varices, and liver condition with portal hypertensive gastropathy, all secondary to medication used for service-connected knee and back conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found the provided medical opinions inadequate as they did not address the Veteran's contentions regarding the use of NSAIDs for his service-connected knees and back causing his current gastrointestinal problems. The claims are remanded for additional examinations and opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- gastric ulcers, gastritis with focal mucosal erosions and foveal hyperplasia, sliding hiatal hernia, esophageal varices, liver condition with portal hypertensive gastropathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2020
- Citation
- A20017648
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 A20017648.
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 granted service connection for hepatitis C and its secondary effects on other conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes mellitus type II, esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and splenomegaly.
- Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for gastric ulcers and their residuals as secondary to his service-connected GERD. The decision concludes that the current gastric ulcers are caused by and aggravated by his service-connected GERD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cirrhosis of the liver, hypertension, lupus, esophageal varices status post ligation, and kidney stones and urinary tract infection are all found to be related to her service-connected Hepatitis C. The Board has determined that further development is needed for the remaining issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions due to a failure to notify the Veteran of his right to a hearing before the AOJ prior to issuance of an initial decision on appeal.
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