The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is remanded due to a duty to assist error regarding the May 2006 colonoscopy and related treatment records, as well as causation of gastrointestinal problems, resection of the small intestine, and laparotomy to drain multiple abdominal abscesses.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion did not address the May 2006 colonoscopy in detail, and there are no indications that Ann Arundel County Hospital treatment records were obtained.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal problems, resection of the small intestine, laparotomy to drain multiple abdominal abscesses
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2024
- Citation
- A24065003
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 868 · Granted: 42% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A24065003.
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.
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The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma is granted with an effective date of August 5, 2021. Claims for other conditions are denied.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for gastrointestinal problems and PTSD, and denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood. The issue of a separate evaluation for bulimia nervosa was remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for fibromyalgia, migraines, neuropsychological signs or symptoms, and a respiratory condition. The claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep disorder, lumbar spine disability, bilateral eye conditions, gastrointestinal problems, high blood pressure, and left below knee amputation were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 10 percent rating for gastrointestinal problems, resolving any reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
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