The Veteran's appeal regarding residuals of an in-service appendectomy is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed symptoms.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner acknowledged the need for more sophisticated imaging studies or diagnostic laparoscopy to fully assess the Veteran’s complaints related to his in-service appendectomy.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic abdominal pain, bowel disturbances
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20068479
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,614 · Granted: 35% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20068479.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for colon cancer residuals with colon resection residuals, bowel disturbances, and GERD, and a separate 10 percent rating for GERD. The claim for a compensable rating for colon resection scar residuals was denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a lower back condition and chronic abdominal pain to schedule VA examinations.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a gastrointestinal disability, to include chronic constipation and chronic abdominal pain, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not providing an adequate examination.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issue of whether the Veteran's current symptoms, including chronic abdominal pain and bowel disturbance, are related to his in-service appendectomy. The case is returned for further medical evaluation.
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