The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux and a foot disorder, finding that there was no evidence of such conditions during or prior to service.
The deciding factor: The medical records did not show any pre-existing gastrointestinal or foot disorders in service, nor were there any increases in severity during service. The appellant's current symptoms are attributed to his own history rather than service-related.
- Claimed conditions
- hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux, foot disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 11, 2002
- Citation
- 0207678
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0207678.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for chronic bronchitis as untimely and denied service connection for various other conditions including a left ankle disorder, asthma, shoulder disorder, chest disorder, foot disorder, GI disorder, hand disorder, knee disorder, and neck disorder due to lack of evidence supporting their direct relation to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a foot disorder, left hip disorder, and right hip disorder due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a right thumb scar status post laceration and readjudicated the claims of entitlement to service connection for various disorders, finding new and relevant evidence in some cases.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the remaining claims on appeal due to missing service treatment records that were later located.
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