GERD (acid reflux) decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions, including hip disorders, leg disorders, foot disorders, anxiety disorder, colon cancer, GERD, and gout. The AOJ is instructed to issue a Statement of the Case (SOC) addressing these issues.

The Veteran's service-connected diverticulitis with GERD rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment from March 10, 2017 to December 29, 2015.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and need for additional information regarding the etiology of the Veteran's gastrointestinal condition, specifically Barrett's esophagus and GERD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a gastrointestinal condition and GERD due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the Veteran's lay reports of symptoms.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a right elbow disability has been dismissed as the Veteran requested its withdrawal. The appeals for GERD, costochondritis, and left flat foot are being remanded due to incomplete records.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for OSA is granted. The issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD is remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims for service connection, including those involving his right hand condition, bilateral knee conditions, tinnitus, head injury residuals, headaches, diabetes mellitus, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The reasons for remand include inadequate medical opinions in previous decisions.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development, including obtaining SSA records and VA medical records from Philadelphia. The Veteran's service connection claims will also require new medical opinions regarding his exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's disability rating for GERD, status-post Nissen fundoplication surgery was reduced from 10 percent to noncompensable (0 percent) effective July 1, 2018. The reduction is being restored.,The Veteran's claim of entitlement to an increased disability rating for his service-connected GERD remains pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), finding that additional medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of these conditions, particularly in relation to service-connected irritable bowel syndrome.

The Veteran's GERD was granted an initial 60 percent rating, effective since December 9, 2021. The previous ratings were denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee arthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and chest pain due to service connection. The issues are being returned for further development as the VA examiners did not adequately address the etiology of the Veteran's conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding whether the Veteran's esophageal disorders were aggravated by service. The case is now pending for an addendum opinion from a clinician.

The Board denied service connection for gastrointestinal and GERD conditions, as well as other issues like right upper extremity and bilateral lower extremity neurological disorders. The Veteran's left shoulder disability was granted a compensable rating, but the lumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities were denied higher ratings.

The Veteran's right ankle disability was denied a higher rating as it did not meet the criteria for a 20% rating under the current VA rating schedule.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was also denied, with the Board finding that there is no evidence of its onset during service or causation by any service-connected condition.

The Veteran's Barratt's esophagus resulted in dysphagia, pyrosis, and reflux prior to January 8, 2020. The Board denied an increased rating for this period.,From January 8, 2020 to October 3, 2022, the Veteran had symptoms equivalent to persistently recurrent epigastric distress with dysphagia, pyrosis, and regurgitation, accompanied by substernal pain. The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for this period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions and the need for additional VA examinations.

The Veteran's service connection claims for vitiligo, allergic rhinitis, low back disability, left hip disability, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and migraines with nausea and dizziness are all denied. The Board has determined that the evidence is insufficient to establish service connection for these conditions.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for allergic rhinitis is also denied. The evidence indicates that her allergic rhinitis manifested as allergic rhinitis without polyps, but with greater than 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides.,Service connection claims for a low back disability and left hip disability are remanded. A VA examiner will be asked to determine whether it is clear and unmistakable that the Veteran's preexisting scoliosis was not aggravated beyond its natural progression by her active duty military service.,The Veteran's claim for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and migraines with nausea and dizziness are also remanded. A VA examiner will be asked to determine whether these conditions were incurred in, or related to, her active duty service.,PACT Act exposure is not applicable to any of the claims.,No rating assigned as all issues are currently denied.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury, dizziness, erectile dysfunction, and gastroesophageal reflux syndrome (GERD) as there was no evidence of current disabilities or causal origins in service.,Service connection was not granted for any of the conditions due to lack of medical evidence supporting their onset during service or being related to a service-connected disability.