The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's GIST is aggravated by her service-connected disabilities. The VA needs to obtain additional medical opinions on this issue.
The deciding factor: The Board found that no opinion had considered the issue of aggravation, which requires addressing both direct causation and aggravation when considering secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2023
- Citation
- 23060305
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 23060305.
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 Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) is presumed to be etiologically related to his conceded in-service herbicide exposure. The Board finds that service connection for GIST, on a presumptive basis as due to herbicide exposure, is warranted. Service connection for the liver condition, including bile duct adenoma, secondary to service-connected GIST, is remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's GIST and RCC are found to be secondary to his service-connected post-operative orchiectomy, left testicle, status post stage 1 seminoma due to radiation therapy. The Board granted the claims based on the evidence being in equipoise.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) is related to his service-connected exposure to Agent Orange, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claim for a stomach growth including GIST was denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.
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