The Board has remanded the claims for duodenal ulcer/duodenitis, esophagitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a respiratory disability including emphysema, allergic rhinitis, and hypertension due to potential service connection based on exposure to fuel products during active military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's service treatment records were destroyed by fire, leading to an error in not attempting to obtain relevant VA and private treatment records from his post-service period. The examiner will be asked to determine if any of the claimed disabilities are related to service exposure to fuel products.
- Claimed conditions
- duodenal ulcer/duodenitis, esophagitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), respiratory disability including emphysema, allergic rhinitis, hypertension, seborrheic keratosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2024
- Citation
- A24074244
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 831 · Granted: 48% (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 A24074244.
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 Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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