GERD (acid reflux) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's arthritis of the lumbar spine was found to have manifested within a year of his final period of active duty, and service connection is granted. The claims for PTSD, major depressive disorder, diverticulitis, right kidney cyst, GERD, right foot disability, and left foot disability are remanded.

The Veteran's GERD is rated at 30 percent, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board has granted service connection for GERD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during his military service and are related to it.

The Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the left trigeminal nerve was granted a 50% disability rating effective February 5, 2019. His GERD with duodenitis and gastritis was not rated higher.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches, including as secondary to his service-connected gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between the current tension headache disability and active service or to the service-connected GERD.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for service connection of GERD, and the Board has dismissed this issue as a result.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including increased ratings for left hip strain with limitation of extension and right knee strain, as well as a TDIU claim. The reasons are due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has denied service connection for a back disability and remanded the issue of service connection for a stomach disorder due to insufficient medical evidence. The Veteran's claims are now pending again with the VA.

The Board has remanded the appeal for further development to determine if the Veteran's sleep apnea is caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD and/or GERD.

The Board has determined that the VA examination provided in response to the September 2018 remand directives was inadequate and unresponsive, necessitating a new examination.

The Veteran's service-connected nausea of unclear etiology and unrelated constipation was granted a rating of 10 percent prior to January 21, 2016. Beginning January 21, 2016, the Veteran's service-connected GERD/hiatal hernia with nausea of unclear etiology and unrelated constipation was also granted a rating of 10 percent.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to GERD and that it is not proximately due to or aggravated by any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's stomach ulcers, diverticulosis, and GERD were not found to be related to his military service. However, he was granted service connection for IBS, which is a qualifying chronic disability under the Persian Gulf presumption.

The Veteran's service-connected GERD with hiatal hernia is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on his symptoms.

The Board denied service connection for a right thumb disability and denied increased ratings for the Veteran's anxiety disorder, right wrist disability, coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic rotator cuff tear of the right shoulder, and TDIU from December 7, 2010 to December 7, 2012. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current right thumb arthritis to service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is rated at 70 percent, which exceeds the requested rating of 30 percent.,CAD is currently rated at 30 percent and does not warrant a higher rating due to the absence of congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 30 to 50 percent.,The thoracolumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, which corresponds to forward flexion limited to 60 degrees during flare-ups and after repetitive use testing. The Veteran's symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of left ventricular dysfunction or ankylosis.,Left knee chondromalacia is rated at 10 percent, which corresponds to objective evidence of painful motion without loss in range of motion on flexion. The Veteran's symptoms do not warrant a higher rating.,GERD with hiatal hernia is rated at 10 percent, which corresponds to considerable impairment of health but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD was denied as the preponderance of evidence did not support a link between his current condition and his military service.,Service connection for headaches was also denied, with the Board finding that there is no credible evidence linking the Veteran’s current headache diagnosis to his service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is not service connected, and has remanded her bilateral hip condition claim for further review.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for the Veteran's hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings on several service-connected disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions.