GERD (acid reflux) decisions — 2009

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disability and an increased rating for GERD, finding no evidence of chronic disability or considerable impairment due to the veteran's conditions.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for right arm numbness, vision disorder, and digestive system disability.

The veteran's service-connected GERD is aggravated by his service-connected generalized anxiety syndrome and is characterized by symptoms of epigastric distress, dysphagia, pyrosis, regurgitation, and right arm and shoulder pain. The Board granted a 10 percent rating for the veteran's GERD.

The Board denied service connection for GERD, dysphagia/swallowing problems, depression, and sexual dysfunction as not being related to the veteran's active military service or a service-connected disability.

The Board denied service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, residuals of a head injury, respiratory disease, bilateral ankle disability, arthritis, right wrist injury, peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and right knee disability.

The veteran's initial rating for bipolar disorder was increased to 70 percent, while the ratings for migraine headaches and GERD were not changed.

The veteran's claim for service connection for gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) was remanded for further development, including a VA examination and obtaining private treatment records.

The veteran's GERD is proximately due to his service-connected back disability and COPD.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, sunburn residuals on the lower extremities, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as they were not shown to be related to his active military service or any service-connected disability.

The veteran's GERD was incurred in service and is granted.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and a history of duodenal ulcer with gastroesophageal reflux disease were remanded, as the evidence did not support higher evaluations.

The veteran's deformity of the distal antrum and pylorus with GERD and hiatal hernia is rated at 10 percent, as it meets the criteria for a 10 percent evaluation under Diagnostic Code 7346.

The Board denied service connection for right and left shoulder disorders, generalized joint pain, an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD, an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for GERD, a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, and evaluations in excess of 10 percent and 20 percent for the lumbar spine disability.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral flat feet, but not for a low back disorder. The veteran's myofascial pain syndrome is related to his active duty service, while sleep apnea, GERD, and memory loss are not.

The veteran's traumatic arthrosis of the distal interphalangeal joint with dorsal callous formation and slight hallux valgus deformity, status post fracture of the great left toe was rated at 10 percent prior to August 2, 2007. The claim for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and elevated cholesterol were denied.

The veteran's pes planus was related to service, and he is granted a temporary total rating for convalescence following surgery.

The veteran's service-connected postoperative left knee chondrocalcinosis, right knee degenerative joint disease, and hiatal hernia with GERD, status post nissen fundoplication, do not warrant ratings in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder, to include GERD and gastroenteritis, as the evidence did not show that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied as the evidence did not support the presence of a disability or sufficient severity to warrant higher ratings.

The Board denied service connection for a hiatal hernia with GERD and a low back condition as there was no evidence of an in-service injury, disease or event that caused the conditions, nor any evidence that they were aggravated by military service.