Citation Nr: 20037293 Decision Date: 06/01/20 Archive Date: 06/01/20 DOCKET NO. 16-51 068 DATE: June 1, 2020 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for colitis, also defined as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), to include as due to service in Southwest Asia, is remanded. Entitlement to service connection for seborrheic dermatitis, to include as due to service in Southwest Asia, is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran had active service from May 1990 to May 1993. These matters come before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from rating decisions issued in September 2013 and December 2014. The Veteran originally requested a hearing before the Board when he filed his substantive appeal but later withdrew that request for a hearing in June 2019 correspondence. Service connection for colitis, also defined as IBD, to include as due to service in Southwest Asia Service connection for seborrheic dermatitis, to include as due to service in Southwest Asia The VA examinations of record are not adequate to address the potential relationship of the claimed disabilities to the Veteran’s service in Southwest Asia. Significantly, no examiner has yet rendered an opinion regarding the Veteran’s claim for seborrheic dermatitis. Consequently, a remand is required. These matters are REMANDED for the following actions: Schedule the Veteran for appropriate examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his colitis/IBD and seborrheic dermatitis conditions. Each examiner should opine as to whether the Veteran’s colitis/IBD and seborrheic dermatitis, as appropriate, are manifestations of an undiagnosed illness or a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness. With respect to the Veteran’s colitis/IBD condition in particular, the examiner should explain if this condition is a functional gastrointestinal disorder or a structural gastrointestinal disease. That examiner should also clarify whether the Veteran’s colitis/IBD condition is at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to human excrement as he described in January 2014 correspondence. THERESA M. CATINO Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board Steven Johnston, 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 This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.