GERD (acid reflux) Board decisions

The Veteran's GERD was granted an initial rating of 10 percent effective September 20, 2010. The current disability is manifested by persistently recurrent epigastric distress with dysphagia, pyrosis and regurgitation, accompanied by substernal and arm/shoulder pain.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations to assess his right shoulder, cervical spine, and gastroesophageal reflux disease disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that they were not incurred or aggravated by active service and did not have a direct relationship to any service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for acid reflux and sleep apnea have been withdrawn. The Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability in his right ear, but he has left ear hearing loss for VA purposes. However, as this condition is not shown within one year following discharge from service, it cannot be presumed to have been incurred therein. Tinnitus was also not shown during service or within the first post-service year and thus cannot be presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for GERD and bilateral flat feet, as well as his claim for service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, were denied by the Board. The appeals are now remanded to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to evaluate his service-connected lumbar spine disability and GERD. The TDIU claim will be held in abeyance pending disposition of the increased rating claims.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, GERD, and arthritis of multiple joints as there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination and medical opinion to determine whether the Veteran's GERD and hiatal hernia are aggravated by any of his service-connected disabilities. The claim is currently pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a new VA medical opinion regarding his hiatal hernia with GERD and scheduling him for a VA examination to determine the current severity level of his service-connected chronic rhinorrhea.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, adenocarcinoma and gastroesophageal carcinoma, is related to his exposure to environmental hazards while stationed at Camp Pendleton and/or El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. As a result, service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to April 29, 2010. From that date until the present, his PTSD alone does not meet the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the lack of access to his private medical records from Mid Carolina Cardiology. He was seeking payment or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred on July 28 and August 2, 2011.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder, including GERD and Barrett's esophagus, is causally related to his active military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board finds that his combined disability rating of at least 70 percent with one disability rated at least 40 percent is sufficient to grant TDIU.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent, and her reflux sympathetic dystrophy of the right foot, lower leg, and ankle is rated at 40 percent. The other conditions are not increased.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including uploading missing documents and obtaining an addendum VA opinion regarding his GERD.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for status post hernia repair with ulcer crater was denied, as her disability is currently rated at 10 percent. The claim for service connection for fibromyalgia was also denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar scoliosis, depression, left thumb disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, cervical spine disorder, gastritis, GERD, and hiatal hernia. The decision is granted as new and material evidence has been received.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to unverified periods of active duty, outstanding VA and private treatment records, and possible Reserve service treatment records. The Veteran is requested to provide authorizations for release of any relevant records.

The Veteran does not have a gastrointestinal disorder etiologically related to service, nor was it caused or aggravated by his service-connected acne keloidalis nuchae (with associated headaches, anxiety, and dysthymia) or sinusitis.