GERD (acid reflux) decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication of issues related to service connection, including those involving residuals of hammertoes, low back disability, hypertension, heart disability, acquired psychiatric disorder, GERD, colon disability, and headache.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to the appellant's exposure to toxins at Fort McClellan, Alabama during her period of ACDUTRA. The VA will provide appropriate examinations and determine if there is a relationship between these conditions and the in-service exposures.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims for service connection, including erectile dysfunction, headaches, and acid reflux. The cases are being returned for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's GERD symptoms did not cause considerable or severe impairment of health, and his claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent was denied.

The appeal with respect to residuals of frostbite of the right foot is dismissed. The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, sleep apnea, GERD, a right shoulder disability, a low back disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and flat feet are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in a December 2020 VA medical opinion regarding service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) secondary to service-connected lumbosacral sprain with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), radiculopathy, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and/or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The remand requires the Veteran's claim be reviewed by a qualified VA examiner who has expertise in sleep-related disorders to provide an addendum opinion addressing whether PTSD causes or aggravates OSA.

The Board has remanded the appeal for additional development due to issues related to PTSD and asthma. The Veteran's effective date for a higher rating of PTSD remains pending, as does his claim for service connection for asthma.

The Veteran's GERD has been productive of pyrosis and periods of dysphagia, but not regurgitation, substernal or arm/shoulder pain, or persistently recurring epigastric distress. The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issues of sleep apnea, right shoulder disability, PTSD, lumbar strain, bilateral hearing loss, and GERD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches was granted, but his claim for service connection for GERD was denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to uncertainty regarding whether the Veteran's IBS and GERD pre-existed service or were aggravated by it. The VA examinations conducted in April 2022 did not provide sufficient clarity on these issues, necessitating further investigation.

The Veteran's duodenal ulcer, rhinitis, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, chronic dermatitis (bilateral arms), gastroenteritis, and GERD have been granted service connection. The remaining issues of service connection for these conditions are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for service-connected ulcer with GERD was denied as the evidence did not show impairment of health manifested by anemia and weight loss, recurrent incapacitating episodes averaging 10 days or more in duration at least four or more times a year, substernal or arm or shoulder pain, hematemesis or melena, anemia and weight loss productive of definite impairment of health, or other symptom combinations productive of severe impairment of health.

The Board has remanded the claims for left foot fungus, right foot fungus, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), penis fungus, groin fungus, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease (IHD) due to improper docketing of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new and material evidence having been received. The Veteran's service treatment records are incomplete, and there is a need to reconstruct them. Additionally, the VA must verify the Veteran's reported herbicide exposure in Vietnam and his claimed stressors.

The Veteran's GERD is granted as secondary to pain medications used to treat her service-connected bilateral knee chondromalacia.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for GERD and a TDIU prior to September 5, 2020 due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's claims for GERD, low back disability, and pes planus have been reopened. Service connection has been granted for all three conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD was granted, as it is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities. The issues of increased ratings and service connection for other conditions were dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for tinnitus has been withdrawn. The claim of service connection for lack of concentration and memory loss is denied.,The Veteran's chronic sinusitis, GERD, and allergic rhinitis are each rated at 10 percent. Service connection for dermatitis is granted at 30 percent.