GERD (acid reflux) decisions — 2016

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, arranging for addendum opinions on his closed head injury/subdural hematoma, and arranging for VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lower thoracic and lumbar spine with osteopenia and some compression fractures, GERD, and Raynaud's syndrome.

The Veteran's headaches were incurred in service and the Board finds that she is entitled to service connection for this disability. The right hip disorder and GERD are also found to be related to her service-connected right ankle sprain.

The Veteran's service-connected Crohn's disease, gastritis and hiatal hernia/gastroesophageal reflux disease (claimed as acid reflux), and history of ulcers has been manifested with numerous flare-up attacks per year of diarrhea, constipation, and bloody stools in addition to occasional chest pain and epigastric pain resulting in malnutrition, essentially resolved anemia, and only fair health during remissions. The Veteran's disability is currently rated at 60 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hemorrhoids, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and a bilateral foot disability have all been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of any current disabilities or continuity of symptoms related to the Veteran's military service.,The medical records do not show any diagnosis or treatment for hemorrhoids, GERD, IBS, or a bilateral foot disability during or within one year after the Veteran's separation from active duty. The Board also found that there is no evidence linking these disabilities to his service.

The Veteran's insomnia is considered part of his service-connected psychiatric disability, and thus no separate claim for this condition was granted.,Service connection for sleep apnea has been established as it is at least as likely as not aggravated by a pre-existing service-connected allergic rhinitis.

The Veteran's asthma, GERD, migraines, and allergic rhinitis were not rated higher than 10 percent up to one year prior to her September 13, 2004 claim. The Board found the evidence did not meet criteria for a higher rating in this period.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the TDIU was denied as there is no evidence of any earlier unadjudicated formal or informal claim prior to September 18, 2006 and no factually ascertainable evidence demonstrating entitlement to TDIU prior to March 24, 2010.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension and GERD were not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active military service, in-service herbicide and environmental toxins, or service-connected PTSD. As such, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The preponderance of the competent and credible evidence indicates that the Veteran's GERD began decades after his active military service and was not caused by any incident of service, and is not otherwise related to service or caused or made chronically worse by a disability related to his service.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 90 percent, with service-connected disabilities that do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his occupational experience and educational background.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to allow for a videoconference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Veteran's GERD with pyrosis, reflux and regurgitation is rated at 30 percent since January 2, 2015. The effective date for service connection of the scar, status post Nissen fundoplication, is set at May 24, 2010.

The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for a left knee disorder, hypertension, or esophageal disorders. The Veteran's current conditions are deemed to be unrelated to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including PTSD and acquired psychiatric disorders. The right knee disability claim was also denied. Service connection is not granted for any of the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The claims for higher initial ratings for right knee status post arthroscopy, GERD, and hemorrhoids are also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's GERD was not incurred during service and is not related to his active naval service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of any esophageal disability and addressing whether it is proximately due to or the result of service-connected status post removal of eighteen inches of intestine with scar.

The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorders, including GERD, gastritis, duodenitis, and hiatal hernia, were not present during service or related to service. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claim for esophagus cancer and its associated conditions is granted due to the credible reports of his symptoms since service, which have been linked by competent medical evidence to his current diagnosis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations to assess his gastrointestinal disability and right thumb injury.