GERD (acid reflux) Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his duodenal ulcer with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss is denied as there is no current evidence of a hearing disability meeting VA criteria.,The effective dates for the grants of service connection for PTSD, GERD, and tinnitus are both April 22, 2013, which is one year prior to the date the claim was received.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD or a disability rating greater than 10 percent for GERD. The Veteran does not have total occupational and social impairment due to his PTSD, nor has he demonstrated symptom combinations productive of considerable or severe impairment of health due to his GERD.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are rated 90 percent disabling and prevent him from obtaining and retaining gainful employment for which he would otherwise be qualified. Therefore, the criteria for a TDIU have been met.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been denied as the evidence does not show symptoms that warrant a higher rating.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or etiological link to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and readjudication of the claims, including a VA PTSD examination and addendum opinions on GERD, cervical spine, low back, and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's IBS with GERD is not entitled to a higher rating.,Service connection for sleep apnea has been granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD. Service connection for hypertension remains pending and will be addressed in the remand portion of this decision.

The Board has determined that there is no medical evidence linking the Veteran's current GERD to his military service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted, and his GERD is rated at the maximum available under the applicable rating criteria. The issues of higher evaluations for sleep apnea and lumbar spine degenerative joint disease have been withdrawn.

The Veteran's cardiovascular signs and symptoms, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), dermatitis, and vertigo have not been diagnosed. The Veteran's lumbar radiculopathy is service-connected.,PTSD remains service-connected but the Veteran has not provided sufficient evidence to warrant a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) did not have its onset during service and is not causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service. As such, the claim for service connection for GERD is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected GERD.

The Veteran's GERD was evaluated as 10% disabling, and the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation due to lack of symptoms warranting a 30% evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic cough and GERD did not manifest in service, are not shown to be attributable to service, and are not secondary (caused or aggravated) to a service connected disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current GERD had its onset during his active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for balance problems and emotional distress due to a colonoscopy. The Board granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain medical records and for a VA examination. The issues on appeal are service connection for GERD, gout secondary to service-connected metatarsal fractures, and an increased rating for the right foot disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for stomach, shoulder, knee disorders were denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the stomach condition claim.

The Veteran's current diagnosis of GERD is related to her service, and the Board finds that there is an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding the merits of this issue. As such, the benefit of the doubt rule applies, and the claim for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for a VA examination. The TDIU claim will be referred to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration on an extra-schedular basis.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right elbow disability, left wrist disability, sleep apnea, GERD, and left shoulder disability. The Board finds that these conditions are related to his active military service.,Service connection is granted for each of the Veteran's claimed disabilities.