The Board remands the case to correct a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the August 2023 rating decision.
The deciding factor: The June 2021 VA examination did not adequately consider all of the appellant's symptomology associated with his disabilities, and a retrospective opinion is needed on the severity of the appellant's service-connected digestive system disabilities prior to May 8, 2023.
- Claimed conditions
- duodenal ulcer, chronic active gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with Barrett's esophagus, intestinal metaplasia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2025
- Citation
- A25034150
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 785 · Granted: 27% (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 A25034150.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including adjustment disorder, benign skin lesions, actinic keratosis, poikiloderma, porokeratosis, Parkinson's disease, benign prostatic hypertrophy, hypertension, increased urinary frequency, diverticulosis, duodenal ulcer, and bilateral cataracts are all granted due to exposure to herbicide agents, mustard gas, and ionizing radiation during service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for neuroendocrine carcinoma of the stomach and intestinal metaplasia, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and duodenal ulcer have been dismissed as the appeal was made concurrently with a previously pending supplemental claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed stomach condition. The claim will be reconsidered with new evidence and reasoning.
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