The Board remands the claims for service connection for GERD and IBS as secondary to MDD due to inadequate medical opinions.
The deciding factor: Inadequate medical opinions failed to address the Veteran's assertions regarding weight gain and psychological stress contributing to the development of GERD and IBS, and did not adequately consider relevant evidence of record.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25039416
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of September 2, 2020, for the grant of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but denied a higher initial rating and TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as there was no competent or credible evidence of a current diagnosis during the appellate period.
- Granted
The Board granted a 10 percent evaluation for the Veteran's GERD, finding that his condition is productive of daily medications to control dysphagia and is otherwise asymptomatic.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and increased evaluations for GERD, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and TBI.
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