Citation Nr: 20005591 Decision Date: 01/23/20 Archive Date: 01/23/20 DOCKET NO. 15-39 572 DATE: January 23, 2020 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a stomach condition is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran had active service from June 1980 to March 1983. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a November 2013 rating decision by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The Veteran testified before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge at a Board hearing in December 2019. This decision is being made under the “one-touch” program. The hearing transcript will still be processed and associated with the claims file in the ordinary course of business. 1. Entitlement to service connection for a stomach condition is remanded. Remand is required to afford the Veteran an examination and obtain relevant medical records. At the hearing before the undersigned, the Veteran reported that he has had ongoing stomach problems that onset in service. He testified that he noticed symptoms of bloating, soft-stools, gas and stomach pain. He also reported that he has a current diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Review of his service treatment records (STRs) show treatment in January 1982 for abdominal discomfort, anusea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which was diagnosed as acute gastroenteritis. VA treatment records show longstanding use of Omeprazole and vague gastrointestinal complaints. As the appeal is being remanded, the Veteran will have another opportunity to identify and/or provide any relevant VA and/or non-VA medical records. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Ask the Veteran to complete a VA Form 21-4142 for any physician(s)/facility that treated his stomach condition. Make two requests for the authorized records, unless it is clear after the first request that a second request would be futile. 2. Obtain the Veteran’s VA treatment records for the period from October 2019 to the present. Schedule the Veteran for an examination by an appropriate clinician to determine the nature and etiology of his current stomach condition. a) The examiner is to identify all current stomach condition and also indicate whether the Veteran meets the diagnostic criteria for a current diagnosis of IBS. (Continued on the next page)   b) The examiner must also opine as to whether any current stomach condition is at least as likely as not related to service, to include the Veteran’s reported symptoms of bloating, soft-stools, gas and stomach pain and the service treatment records that show some evidence of some gastrointestinal complaints. A fully-explained rationale must be provided. D. JOHNSON Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board D. Lauritzen, Associate Counsel The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential, and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.