The Board remands the claim for a gastrointestinal disorder, including a hiatal hernia, to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed conditions.
The deciding factor: The May 2023 VA opinion was found inadequate due to incorrect legal standard and failure to consider all relevant evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal disorder, hiatal hernia, Barrett's esophagus, esophageal hiatal hernia, gastric stricture, esophagitis, GERD, duodenitis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2025
- Citation
- A25037021
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 remands the claims for service connection for Parkinson's disease/parkinsonism, a gastrointestinal disorder, a speech disorder, and essential tremor due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a head injury, headache disorder, erectile dysfunction, left earache disorder, chronic fatigue, right shoulder disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, right foot disorder, GERD, and left shoulder disorder, as the evidence did not support current diagnoses of these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted a rating of 60 percent from January 27, 2016 to July 7, 2022 for the Veteran's duodenal ulcer, duodenitis, gastritis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.