The Board remands the Veteran's claim for a gastrointestinal disability, to include IBS, for further development and clarification of the nature and etiology of his symptoms.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion provided was too conclusory and did not address all theories of entitlement, including the possibility of an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness related to service in Southwest Asia.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal disability, to include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2025
- Citation
- A25034904
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for gastrointestinal disability and denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for allergic rhinitis, migraine headaches, PTSD, and tinnitus. The Board also denied increased ratings for allergic rhinitis and tinnitus and remanded claims for service connection for right elbow disability.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for major depressive disorder, tinnitus, sleep apnea, and a gastrointestinal disability due to untimeliness of the VA Form 10182. The appeal for service connection for sarcoidosis was denied based on the lack of evidence supporting a current disability.
- Denied
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- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension but denied service connection for cervical spine, right shoulder, low back, left hip, gastrointestinal, bronchitis, sinusitis disabilities and denied an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for headaches and thyroid disability.
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