The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for further development due to inadequate medical opinions and new evidence. The claims include service connection for gallbladder disease and removal, as well as secondary service connection for these conditions related to PTSD with MDD and alcohol use disorder.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions were found to be insufficient in addressing the Veteran's lay statements and other submitted medical literature regarding toxic exposure at Camp Pendleton.
- Claimed conditions
- gallbladder disease, removal of gall bladder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 12, 2024
- Citation
- 24007453
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 24007453.
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 has denied service connection for gallbladder disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, cirrhosis, and kidney disease as secondary to PTSD. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection on several issues have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of those appeals.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including hypertension, skin disorder, sleep apnea, arthritis of the cervical spine, arthritis of the left knee, arthritis of the right hip, and removal of gall bladder, all allegedly due to exposure during Project SHAD. The Board found that there was no clear evidence of specific health effects associated with Project SHAD participation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for colitis with removal of gall bladder, including irritable bowel syndrome and gastroesophageal reflux disease (also claimed as acid reflux), is being remanded due to the need for a new examination.
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