The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for duodenal ulcer and esophageal disability (GERD) due to a lack of adequate medical opinions and further development is needed.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinion was not considered sufficient, as it did not address highly relevant evidence already associated with the claims folder, including a February 1973 private medical report indicating the Veteran's hospitalization for ulcer disease confirmed by x-rays.
- Claimed conditions
- duodenal ulcer, esophageal disability (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21015921
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 21015921.
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 Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including adjustment disorder, benign skin lesions, actinic keratosis, poikiloderma, porokeratosis, Parkinson's disease, benign prostatic hypertrophy, hypertension, increased urinary frequency, diverticulosis, duodenal ulcer, and bilateral cataracts are all granted due to exposure to herbicide agents, mustard gas, and ionizing radiation during service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and duodenal ulcer have been dismissed as the appeal was made concurrently with a previously pending supplemental claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed stomach condition. The claim will be reconsidered with new evidence and reasoning.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU and Dependents' Educational Assistance was granted, with the effective dates set at August 31, 2009.
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