The Board remands the claims for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of PTSD and to obtain an opinion regarding the etiology of GERD, including whether it is caused or aggravated by PTSD, IBS, or TERA exposure.
The deciding factor: The December 2021 symptom checklist should have warranted a new VA examination in order to assess the Veteran's symptomatology for PTSD, and not obtaining an opinion regarding secondary service connection for GERD constitutes a pre-decisional duty to assist error. Additionally, given the passage of the PACT Act during the course of the appeal, a TERA opinion should also be provided.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2025
- Citation
- A25051148
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 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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings, except for a granted 30 percent rating for headache disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, as it needs a medical opinion addressing the nature and etiology of the condition prior to October 16, 2023.
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