The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran sustained additional disabilities as a result of her three abdominal surgeries at Gainesville VAMC. The issues include entitlement to compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for an abdominal disability with residual painful scar, chronic pelvic and vaginal pain, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's claims are inextricably intertwined and thus deferred a decision on the matter of entitlement to SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance or on account of being housebound. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Abdominal disability, Acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2021
- Citation
- 21072324
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 21072324.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether injuries sustained in a November 2001 incident were in the line of duty. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded due to its interdependence with the line of duty issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain private treatment records from the Veteran's treating clinician.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of August 13, 2018, for the award of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is granted. The Veteran also meets the schedular criteria for entitlement to TDIU prior to June 1, 2023.
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