GERD (acid reflux) Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claim for esophageal disability due to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, finding that the VA examination was inadequate and requesting a new examination.

The Board has granted service connection for skin disability, respiratory disability, diverticulitis, digestive system disability, pancreatic-intestinal system disability, and neurological disability. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible lay accounts and a supportive medical opinion.

The Veteran's GERD is remanded for a VA examination to determine its etiology.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis and allergic rhinitis, an unspecified anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders (including irritable bowel syndrome and gastroesophageal reflux disease), obstructive sleep apnea, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, residuals of frostbite, and residuals of heat stroke have been granted. The claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder other than sinusitis and allergic rhinitis are being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for separate compensable ratings for Hepatitis B and GERD, as well as a rating in excess of 30 percent for Hepatitis B with GERD, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not warrant higher ratings under either diagnostic code.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for fibromyalgia was denied, and her TDIU was granted with an effective date of July 28, 2015. The decision is based on the Veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left foot disability (claimed as pes planus and calcaneal spur), hypertensive vascular disease, lumbar spine condition, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The appeals are all denied.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for lung cancer, anxiety, a low back condition, right foot tingling, left foot tingling, a bilateral eye condition, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hypoglycemia, and headaches as it lacks jurisdiction over these issues due to concurrent elections.

The Board has decided that the November 13, 2007 rating decision was clearly and unmistakably erroneous in failing to grant service connection for GERD. The claim is being remanded for further adjudication.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of OSA as secondary to his service-connected GERD, finding that it is more likely than not that the OSA developed from the GERD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right inguinal hernia repair, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), neck disability, hypertension, hemorrhoids, mild renal insufficiency (claimed as renal failure), colitis, and bilateral shoulder disabilities due to incomplete records and inadequate examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate opinion regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected duodenitis and gastritis with GERD. A new medical opinion must be obtained that defines aggravation as 'any increase in disability' rather than 'beyond the natural progression'.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU prior to August 23, 2023, due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from obtaining and maintaining gainful employment. The issue of TDIU beginning on or after August 23, 2023, is moot as the Veteran has been in receipt of a combined 100% rating.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for GERD due to insufficient evidence and a failure to obtain an addendum opinion regarding direct and secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral nuclear cataracts, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and heart disability due to potential errors in satisfying a regulatory or statutory duty.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for the VA to obtain information about his non-VA insurance and any response from him or his providers regarding an EOB, as well as additional medical records related to other expenses he claims.

The Board dismissed the AMA appeal for service connection for impairment of sphincter control (claimed as bowel disorder to include fecal incontinence), alopecia areata, and acid reflux due to a claims processing error. The Veteran's previously denied claims were reopened and remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected GERD is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the February 2020 VA examination, which did not consider the ameliorative effects of medication and the frequency of symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error based on new law implemented after the September 2020 AOJ decision. The PACT Act requires VA to provide an examination and obtain a medical opinion addressing the possibility of a nexus between the claimed disability and the TERA (due to active service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War).