The Board has denied service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder manifested by abdominal pain, as there is no evidence of such condition during or after service.,Service connection was also denied for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD. The claim was remanded multiple times but the Veteran's current diagnosis of depression does not meet the criteria for any psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no evidence linking the Veteran’s gastrointestinal symptoms to his service, as they were resolved spontaneously without treatment.,The VA examiner could not reconcile the March 2009 diagnosis with the current lack of a diagnosed psychiatric condition. The claim was remanded again for an addendum opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastrointestinal Disorder (manifested by abdominal pain), Acquired Psychiatric Disorder other than PTSD, Neurological Disorder (manifested by numbness in fingers)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20070619
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20070619.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for clarification on whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service, specifically in-service experiences.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for PTSD due to lack of a verified in-service stressor. The appeal is remanded for further examination and determination regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that the evidence does not establish a link between these conditions and service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, a chronic respiratory disorder, and bilateral hearing loss are all granted. The Veteran was diagnosed with PTSD during service and the evidence supports that it is related to in-service stressors. Service connection is also granted for his acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD. However, service connection cannot be established without a VA examination or supporting medical evidence for his chronic respiratory disorder and bilateral hearing loss.
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