The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for a chronic gastric condition (other than IBS, diverticulosis, and hepatitis) are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his digestive system conditions.
The deciding factor: Additional medical opinions are needed to determine the nature and etiology of any current gastric conditions including H. pylori infection, stomach polyp, and/or benign colon polyps, as well as whether these conditions were caused or aggravated by service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic gastric condition (other than irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diverticulosis and hepatitis), H. pylori infection, stomach polyp, benign colon polyps
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2022
- Citation
- 22071315
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 22071315.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bladder cancer status post cancerous polypectomy with an earlier effective date of January 30, 2017, and granted initial ratings for left and right lower extremity restless leg syndrome at 20 percent. PTSD was granted increased ratings to 50 percent from February 21, 2017 to July 20, 2023, and to 70 percent from July 20, 2023. The claim for service connection for benign colon polyps was denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has denied all individual issues of service connection. The appeals are not granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic gastric condition other than IBS, diverticulosis and hepatitis was denied. The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnoses of colon polyps, stomach polyps, and H. pylori infection did not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his in-service gastrointestinal issues or any service-connected disabilities. For the rating issue, the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for IBS with diverticulosis and hepatitis was also denied as there were no symptoms that warranted an evaluation above 30 percent.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected GERD with esophagitis and Barret's esophagus is found to have aggravated his H. pylori infection, which resulted in related diverticulitis. The Board has granted service connection for the residuals of H. pylori infection and diverticulitis.
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