GERD (acid reflux) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been granted, but his claims for hearing loss and GERD have not. The Board is remanding the issues of service connection for right elbow disability and left elbow disability.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeals in March 2020.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, finding no evidence to support his assertions or that his conditions are related to service. The Veteran was granted a TDIU and basic eligibility for Dependents' Education Assistance.

The Veteran's appeals regarding his service-connected duodenal ulcer, acid reflux disorder (hiatal hernia), and hemorrhoids have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran. The application to reopen claims for chronic fatigue syndrome has also been dismissed.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for service-connected GERD, effective from the date of the decision. The Veteran's prior claims for higher ratings are denied.

The Board denied service connection for a back disorder, diabetes mellitus type II, coronary artery disease, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The reasons provided include lack of in-service injury or disease, no chronic symptoms during service, and no evidence of continuity of symptomatology post-service.,The Board also denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and coronary artery disease based on the absence of a showing of continuous symptoms since service separation.

The Veteran's claims for separate ratings for asthma and sleep apnea, as well as hiatal hernia and GERD, were denied. The Veteran was granted a 30% rating for hiatal hernia with GERD effective December 4, 2014, and a 60% rating since January 23, 2020. An initial compensable rating for esophagitis was not granted.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for asthma due to conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran's current asthma diagnosis is related to her service.,Service connection for a digestive disorder, other than GERD with gastritis (IBS) and bilateral keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eyes syndrome) are denied as there is no probative medical evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his service connection claim for a gastrointestinal disability, including acid reflux and gastritis, was granted. The Board has determined that new evidence received since the final denial supports reopening the claim but has not yet decided whether service connection should be granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating due to a lack of recent VA treatment records, need for new examinations, and consideration of updated eye rating criteria. The claims will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Board denied service connection for GERD, bilateral foot condition, and migraine headaches (secondary to hypertension) as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The rating for migraine headaches was not granted as the attacks did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, and the GERD rating was also denied due to insufficient evidence of considerable impairment. Service connection for a cervical spine disorder was denied because there was no in-service injury or disease that caused the condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal of all issues, including those related to service connection and evaluations for various conditions. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude her from obtaining or maintaining substantial gainful employment, as the evidence does not show that they cause her to be unable to work.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, but dismissed his claims for increased ratings for IBS and hearing loss disability as well as his claim for service connection for GERD.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and his active service or any service-connected disability.,The Board also denied service connection for nausea (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), concluding that there was no evidence to support a link with the Veteran's active service or any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 60 percent since October 24, 2019. He was granted TDIU effective that date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diverticulitis is being remanded due to the need for clarification of her diagnosis and a medical examination. The issue has been recharacterized as gastrointestinal disability other than IBS with GERD.

The Veteran's service connection claims for GERD and hypertension have been remanded due to the need for further development of evidence.

The Board denied service connection for liver disability and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as the preponderance of evidence did not support a relationship to active duty, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.