The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for gallbladder removal as secondary to GERD and/or IBS due to an inadequate VA opinion.
The deciding factor: The April 2022 VA medical opinion is found to be inadequate as it did not address secondary causation in a manner consistent with legal standards.
- Claimed conditions
- gallbladder removal
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25055067
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 payment or reimbursement of non-VA medical care related to ovarian cancer, thyroid cancer, stroke, brain aneurysm, migraines, renal cysts, and gallbladder removal under the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program due to a lack of adequate notice and development.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to his failure to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of gallstones and subsequent gallbladder removal to correct a duty to assist error, specifically the lack of a VA examination regarding whether the Veteran's gallstones are secondary to his service-connected appendectomy with adhesions and small bowel resection.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for high cholesterol, TMJ, chronic neck pain, gallbladder removal, high blood pressure, inguinal hernia, chronic pain in both feet, left knee disability, and right knee disability as there was no evidence of a current disability or functional impairment that limits earning capacity.
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