GERD (acid reflux) decisions — 2021

The Veteran's gastrointestinal disability, including gastritis, GERD, Barrett's Esophagus, pyrosis, and hiatal hernia, is remanded for further evaluation due to inadequate opinion in the previous VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of intestinal surgery, including abdominal adhesions and gall bladder removal; gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); a disability of the anus and rectum; rating in excess of 40 percent for duodenal ulcer disease; and compensable rating for residual scar from post-vagotomy and pyloroplasty must be remanded due to incomplete STRs, need for additional medical opinions, and need for VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury is denied.,Service connection for the right shoulder disability, cervical spine disability (prior to October 6, 2020), and bilateral acquired pes planus with hallux valgus are also denied. The Veteran's GERD symptoms have been granted an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a neck disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and throat disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or illness related to these conditions, and that any current conditions were not caused by military service.,Specifically, the VA examiner noted that the Veteran did not have a diagnosed neck condition during his active duty, and that his current neck disorders are more likely due to rheumatoid arthritis. The GERD diagnosis was attributed to chronic use of medications for rheumatoid arthritis. No throat disorder was found on examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for GERD with hiatal hernia and migraines due to a lack of contemporaneous examinations. The Veteran will need to undergo new examinations to assess her current disability levels.

The Board has vacated the April 14, 2020 decision denying TDIU benefits due to failure to defer a decision on the issue until OSA was assigned a disability rating. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment throughout the period on appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bowel disability due to inadequate examination findings. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for his claimed conditions as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a current disability related to active service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's GERD is caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities and/or medications taken for those disabilities.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of GERD, and the Board dismissed the case as a result.

The Veteran's GERD and obstructive sleep apnea are both found to have onset during or be related to his active service, leading to a grant of service connection for both conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a neck disability, gastrointestinal disorders (including GERD), and a rating greater than 10 percent for low back strain due to incomplete evaluations and lack of recent medical opinions.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including blindness, glaucoma, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, shoulder pain, elbow and wrist swelling, toe numbness, leg numbness, jaw joint pain, hip joint swelling, knee and ankle pain, bilateral pes planus, foot bunions, rib fracture discomfort, hand weakness, left hand swelling, tonsillitis, dizzy spells, fatigue, pharyngitis, allergy disorder, breathing disorder, sleep apnea, heart condition, ulcer, gastritis, gastrointestinal problems, GERD, kidney disorder, lipoma, obesity, arm numbness and pain, and finger numbness. The Board found that the evidence did not support service connection for these conditions.,The Veteran's TBI claim is also denied as there was no in-service head injury or related condition.

The Veteran's PTSD, sinusitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, granulomatous lung disease and service connection for testosterone disorder are granted with effective dates of July 12, 2017. Service connection for GERD is denied. The Veteran's skin conditions remain denied.

The Veteran's tension headaches are currently rated as noncompensable, but the Board finds that a compensable rating of 30 percent is warranted based on her characteristic prostrating attacks occurring more than once a month.

The Veteran's claim for a 70 percent rating for PTSD is granted. The issue of service connection for gastrointestinal disorders associated with in-service gun-shot injury, claimed as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and acid reflux, is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his service-connected other specified trauma and stressor related disorder is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection of GERD is remanded as the evidence is insufficient to determine if it arose during service or is otherwise related to service.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to lack of specific audiometric test scores in his most recent VA examination.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded as the evidence is insufficient to determine if his service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The appeal was also remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder, diagnosed as GERD, esophagitis, and a hiatal hernia, was found to have its onset in service. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's service connection claims for COPD, sleep apnea, hypertension and GERD have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to toxic chemicals or other factors that would support a finding of service connection.,Service connection was not granted because the medical evidence does not show any link between the current disabilities and military service. The Veteran's assertions regarding in-service exposures were found to be unsupported by the record.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to incomplete VA treatment records, insufficient examination opinions, and need for additional medical evaluation.