The Board remands the matter for an addendum medical opinion to address whether the Veteran's esophageal stricture and dysphagia worsened during service, using the 'clear and unmistakable' standard.
The deciding factor: The January 2021 VA examination was found inadequate as it did not properly consider all relevant evidence in formulating an opinion on aggravation of a pre-existing condition.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2025
- Citation
- 25000832
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 163 · Granted: 31% (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 25000832.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new medical opinion is needed regarding whether the Veteran's gastrointestinal or esophageal disability was caused or aggravated by service or any related conditions.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, right knee, left knee, upper jaw/dental, and esophageal disorders due to lack of new and relevant evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in excess of the current ratings. The Board granted a 10 percent rating for left nasal cavity mass with obstruction prior to March 18, 2024, but denied a compensable rating beginning that date. The Board remanded service connection for esophageal disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an esophageal disorder and a thyroid disorder due to insufficient evidence regarding their relationship to service, including asbestos exposure.
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