The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for rectal bleeding due to conflicting opinions and a need for further development.
The deciding factor: The addendum opinion is required to address whether the Veteran's current rectal bleeding would be less severe but for his service-connected disabilities, including hypertensive heart disease, hypertension, and supraventricular arrhythmia.
- Claimed conditions
- rectal bleeding
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2026
- Citation
- 26000594
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 26000594.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection of hemorrhoids with rectal bleeding is remanded due to the VA's failure to obtain a medical opinion on direct service connection and as related to toxic exposure risk activities (TERA).
- Granted
The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder, including GERD and rectal bleeding, is found to be caused by his service-connected major depressive disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a bilateral eye disability (pinguecula and dry eye syndrome) on a direct basis, but dismissed claims for earlier effective dates and service connections for PTSD, rectal bleeding, left leg condition, and other neuropathies. The Board also denied an earlier effective date for the 50 percent rating for migraine headaches.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for celiac disease, rectal bleeding, erectile deformity (other than erectile dysfunction), high blood pressure, and chest pain to the VA Regional Office for issuance of a Statement of the Case.
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