GERD (acid reflux) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's GERD is granted service connection as it had its onset during active duty. Service connection for PTSD and a chronic disability of the left leg muscle are denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for gastrointestinal condition, diabetes mellitus, and ischemic heart disease have been granted. The issues of service connection for basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and anemia are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's GERD and hiatal hernia, specifically whether they are related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's depressive disorder is granted as service connected, but the other conditions and issues are not.

The Veteran's service connection claims were denied in a February 2006 rating decision. He filed to reopen the previously denied claims on January 10, 2011, and they were granted effective from that date.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for GERD, finding that there is no evidence to support a direct or secondary relationship between his current GERD and his military service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions have been denied. The appeal to restore the rating for cervical spine DDD has been granted.

The Board has granted service connection for left Achilles heel tendonitis and denied service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and ulcerative colitis. The Veteran's left Achilles heel tendonitis is found to be at least as likely as not related to his in-service injury, while the GERD and ulcerative colitis are determined to have no direct relationship with his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's GERD is proximately due to his service-connected migraine headaches, and therefore grants secondary service connection for GERD.

The appeal is dismissed due to the Veteran's death, and no service connection decisions are made as a result.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions addressing his claimed conditions and their relationship to service, particularly regarding exposure to anthrax shots.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various conditions, including glaucoma, chronic fatigue syndrome, muscle pain and weakness, joint pain and weakness, sleep apnea, cholecystectomy, colitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and migraines. The Veteran's claims are being reviewed due to the lack of a current diagnosis or during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's depressive disorder is granted as secondary to service-connected sinusitis. Service connection for asthma, GERD, urticaria of the upper and lower extremities, and COPD are denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and granted. The Board has also determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is secondary to his service-connected status post bilateral inguinal hernia repairs, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for scars associated with his inguinal repairs is denied.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal as the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's GERD causes occasional vomiting, regurgitation, reflux, and heartburn, some of which are controlled by medication. The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for GERD prior to August 1, 2018, but remanded the issue of an initial rating in excess of 30 percent from that date.

The Board denied service connection for sinusitis, heart disease, GERD, and OSA as there was no evidence of a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bone disease, acid reflux (claimed as a stomach condition), internal bleeding condition, intestine condition, and blood in stool condition are related to his military service and/or exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The case is being sent back for further examination.

The Board has remanded two issues: one regarding service connection for a throat disorder secondary to the Veteran's service-connected GI disability, and another regarding an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for his duodenal ulcer. The Veteran needs to be examined to determine the current severity of his GI disability and any related throat disorder.

The Veteran's claim for increased evaluations and extraschedular considerations for various service-connected disabilities is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of the record.