GERD (acid reflux) Board decisions

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for anemia due to submission of new and relevant evidence. The remaining issues are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's GERD is rated at a 30 percent rating, effective from September 1, 2021. The Board found that her symptoms of persistently recurrent epigastric distress, dysphagia, pyrosis, reflux, regurgitation, substernal, arm, and shoulder pain, sleep disturbance, nausea, and vomiting meet the criteria for a 30 percent rating.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for headaches, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) secondary to PTSD, and earlier effective date for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU). The decisions are being remanded due to a failure to consider evidence at the time of the relevant decision.

The Board has granted an initial disability rating of 10 percent for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), effective from May 2011, based on the Veteran's symptoms and treatment records. The criteria for a higher rating are not met.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. A new medical opinion is needed to assess the severity of his GERD without the ameliorative effects of medication.

Service connection for allergic rhinitis and GERD has been granted. The Veteran's IBS rating is denied, effective September 8, 2023.,TDIU and SMC at the housebound rate have also been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational background and occupational experience. The Board finds the totality of the evidence more probative than his lay statements in determining that his service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for service-connected gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) from March 9, 2020, but no earlier. The Veteran's symptoms include persistently recurrent epigastric distress with dysphagia, pyrosis, and regurgitation, accompanied by substernal or arm/shoulder pain.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating of ulcerative colitis was denied. Service connection claims for gastroesophageal reflux disease, spinal stenosis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, enlarged prostate, and peripheral neuropathy were all remanded.

The Veteran's GERD is rated at a 30 percent disability rating, effective from the date of the September 2022 rating decision.

The Board has granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee residuals, post arthroscopy with medial meniscectomy. The decision is based on a finding of an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has denied the Veteran's request for a compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and has remanded the issue of service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The decision on appeal is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in duty-to-assist, including a need for TERA-specific examinations and an opinion regarding whether his gastrointestinal disability is aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has already addressed the appeal for service connection for bilateral pes planus, right foot hammer toes, left foot hammer toes, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), migraine headaches, and erectile dysfunction. The appeals are now dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD was denied in a previous rating decision. The Board found that the evidence did not show continuity of symptoms from service and that his GERD is not related to exposure to environmental hazards during Southwest Asia. As such, the effective date for the grant of service connection for GERD cannot be earlier than February 5, 2021.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected back conditions, left knee conditions, and GERD due to his refusal of VA examinations without good cause.

The Board has granted service connection for GERD and obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD, but denied service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to duty-to-assist errors and incomplete opinions regarding service connection for GERD.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for allergic rhinitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran is not presumed to have developed these conditions during his service in Afghanistan.