The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for eosinophil esophagitis and esophageal ulcer due to his statements about symptoms during service, including exposure to secondhand smoke on submarines. The Veteran must be afforded a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found the Veteran's statements credible and remanded for further evaluation as he claimed his current esophageal disabilities resulted from or were aggravated by second-hand smoke while serving on submarines.
- Claimed conditions
- eosinophil esophagitis, esophageal ulcer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20045252
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 20045252.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an esophageal ulcer and remanded the claim for further development regarding gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hiatal hernia, chronic diarrhea, esophageal ulcer, duodenal ulcer, and GERD due to a lack of adequate opinions regarding their etiology. The PACT Act requires VA to provide examinations and opinions in these cases.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has dismissed the claim for esophageal ulcer and remanded the claims for eosinophil esophagitis and left hip disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there were errors in the original decision and remanded the cases for further development.
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