The Board has decided that the service connection for gastrointestinal disability, to include a stomach ulcer, should be remanded due to inadequate medical opinion in the previous VA examination.
The deciding factor: The July 2020 VA examiner's opinion was based solely on the absence of documentary evidence and did not consider post-service treatment records showing duodenal nodules and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal disability, stomach ulcer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2022
- Citation
- 22068401
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 22068401.
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 decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a gastrointestinal disability due to procedural issues and will consider any additional evidence provided by the RO.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will consider whether the Veteran's gastrointestinal disability is related to his service or service-connected PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for gastrointestinal disability, left foot disability, and right foot disability due to deficiencies in the VA medical opinions provided. The appellant's lay statements will be considered along with the existing evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's gastrointestinal disability may be related to service, including as due to an undiagnosed illness. However, a VA examination is needed to establish this relationship and correct any duty-to-assist error.
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