The appeal for service connection of a colon condition is remanded. The Board found that the Veteran should have been given an examination to determine the nature and cause of his colon condition before making a decision.
The deciding factor: The Board found a duty to assist error occurred prior to the July 2024 rating decision on appeal, as the Veteran was not afforded a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed colon condition.
- Claimed conditions
- colon condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25008407
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,272 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25008407.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a colon condition, including as caused by herbicide agent exposure or secondary to his service-connected disabilities, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection on any basis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back condition and colon condition are being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions. The AOJ must obtain new or addendum opinions from qualified clinicians, including possibly a GI specialist, to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding his conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in duty to assist and regulatory or statutory duties, specifically for a VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the gastrointestinal disability, including cecal mass.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
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