The Board has found conflicting medical evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed digestive disorder. The case is being remanded to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.
The deciding factor: There are conflicting medical opinions in the record, including one indicating that the Veteran’s digestive disorders were not caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities or medications, and another suggesting that anti-inflammatory drugs cause or aggravate peptic ulcers and GERD. The case requires further clarification.
- Claimed conditions
- Digestive disorder, PUD (Peptic Ulcer Disease), GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), Chronic gastritis
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20067315
Veterans Law Judge
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20067315.
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 hand tremors and insomnia, but denied service connection for muscle pain disorder, joint pain disorder, right lower extremity neurological disorder, left lower extremity neurological disorder, chronic fatigue disorder, digestive disorder, and syncope.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's digestive disorder and its relationship to service, including presumed exposure to toxic substances.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral plantar fasciitis and IBS/GERD were denied as there was no evidence of severe health impairment or other symptoms warranting a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's stomach disability. The VA will obtain an addendum opinion from a gastroenterologist to address whether the Veteran's stomach condition is related to service, including exposure to contaminated water and umbilical hernia repair.
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