The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral flat feet is dismissed due to pyramiding.,Service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been granted. The Veteran served in the Southwest Asia theater and has a current diagnosis of IBS.,Service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is remanded as there are insufficient medical opinions regarding its etiology.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for vertigo is remanded due to lack of an appropriate diagnosis or clear etiology.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for dizziness, including due to undiagnosed illness, is remanded as the cause of his symptoms has not been determined.,Service connection for chronic frontal sinusitis is remanded as there are insufficient medical opinions regarding its onset and relation to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral flat feet have already been rated under a different diagnostic code, leading to pyramiding. Therefore, the claim must be dismissed.,There is objective evidence of IBS in service and it has persisted since then, meeting the criteria for service connection as a chronic multi-symptom illness.,The Veteran's GERD symptoms have not been definitively linked to any specific cause or event in service, requiring further examination and opinion.,The Veteran's vertigo diagnosis is unclear, and its relation to service needs clarification. The examiner must determine if the condition is related to an undiagnosed illness or a known etiology.,The nature of the Veteran's dizziness has not been clearly diagnosed, and its relation to service (including PB pills, anthrax vaccinations, and exposure to toxic smoke) needs further investigation.,Chronic frontal sinusitis onset in service is unclear, and its relation to environmental exposures in Southwest Asia requires clarification.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral flat feet, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), vertigo, dizziness, including due to undiagnosed illness, chronic frontal sinusitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20057075
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 20057075.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, fibromyalgia, and vertigo. The decision found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to military noise exposure during service.,The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, gastrointestinal (GI) disability, and vertigo are remanded for further examination and opinion.
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