The Board has determined that the December 2024 rating decision is the current decision on appeal and has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records from the Atlanta VAMC and scheduling a VA examination to address the Veteran's claimed undiagnosed illness.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the AOJ had not obtained all relevant VA treatment records and failed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his ongoing symptoms. The Board also noted that the current evidence does not establish service connection for the claimed condition due to lack of a nexus between the diagnosed condition and service.
- Claimed conditions
- diarrhea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2026
- Citation
- A26010183
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 A26010183.
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 has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination reports and internal inconsistencies in the previous VA examinations. The Veteran's gastrointestinal symptoms, including IBS, constipation, diarrhea, and hemorrhoids, need further evaluation.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for diarrhea, and the Board dismissed the appeal as a result.
- Granted
The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorders, including gastroenteritis, IBS, and diarrhea, are found to be related to her active service. The issues of separate ratings for bulimia and unspecified anxiety disorder are also granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was denied, while the Veteran's claim for service connection for diarrhea as secondary to his service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was granted.
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