The Board remands the claim for service connection of gallstones and subsequent gallbladder removal to correct a duty to assist error, specifically the lack of a VA examination regarding whether the Veteran's gallstones are secondary to his service-connected appendectomy with adhesions and small bowel resection.
The deciding factor: The remand is necessary due to an unaddressed duty to assist error in obtaining a VA examination prior to the May 2023 rating decision on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- gallstones, gallbladder removal
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25018169
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (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 A25018169.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing records and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The claims will be readjudicated after obtaining any necessary records.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of gallbladder removal and gallstones, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active service or presumed exposure to herbicide agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on multiple conditions have been remanded due to the submission of new evidence after a prior denial. The Board finds that VA examinations and medical opinions are necessary to properly determine entitlement to service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent and a higher rating is denied.,The Veteran's PTSD is remanded for further development to determine if it warrants an increased rating.
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