GERD (acid reflux) decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal involves claims for increased ratings and service connection, with the majority of issues remanded for further examination and opinion. The primary focus is on sleep apnea and its relationship to other conditions.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability was not related to service and denied.,Sleep apnea and GERD were both found to be due to undiagnosed illnesses associated with the Gulf War, but as these conditions are presumed, no rating is assigned.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected hiatal hernia with GERD, and for obtaining any outstanding medical records.

Service connection was not granted for GERD and earlier effective dates were denied for PTSD, loss of use of right foot, hepatitis C, and hypertension.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current disability related to his service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected GERD.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for headaches, sinus infections, and a cervical spine disability. The appeals are now remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule the Veteran for VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's GERD and tinnitus claims require additional development due to incomplete medical records, need for an opinion on pre-existing condition aggravation, and need for a new opinion regarding the etiology of his tinnitus.

The Veteran's service treatment records are negative for complaints of, or treatment for, spine, left shoulder, or lung disabilities. The earliest post-service clinical evidence of possible acid reflux is more than twenty years after separation from service.,There is no competent credible evidence of record that reflects that the Veteran has a lung disability causally related to, or aggravated by, service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the etiology of his gastrointestinal disabilities and their relationship to service, including as secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's GERD has been rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant a higher rating as they do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7346.

The Veteran's tinnitus, lumbosacral strain, right elbow condition, and right great toe disability are all rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations. The right quadriceps injury is also rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations.

The Board has found that the Veteran's eczema had its onset in service and has continued since then, granting service connection for eczema. The issue of a higher initial rating for Crohn's disease with GERD is remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The issues of increased rating for low back disorder, earlier effective date for the assignment of a 20 percent rating for low back disorder, service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, cervical muscle strain, traumatic arthritis of the sternoclavicular joint of the left second rib, and gastroesophageal reflux disease are being remanded. The issue of TDIU is also being remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea as being proximately due to or caused by a service-connected disability, and has also granted service connection for bilateral pes planus. The Veteran's pre-existing ankle and foot disabilities were aggravated during service. Service connection was denied for the remaining issues.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than July 15, 2011 for the increase to 30 percent disability for pes planus was granted. The effective date is set at February 18, 2011.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address his claims of service connection for various conditions, including a left shoulder condition, right and left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and GERD. The VA will need to obtain updated treatment records, arrange for appropriate examinations, and provide an opinion regarding the relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and panic disorder without agoraphobia, bicipital tendinitis of the bilateral shoulder, chondromalacia patella of the bilateral knee, sinusitis, hypertension, tension headaches, pes planus, and hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease, render him unemployable for the period since March 25, 2011.