The veteran's claims for an effective date prior to May 21, 2001 for service connection and a higher evaluation for his hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease were denied. The RO found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for reopening his claim for service connection of diverticulosis.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show new and material information to reopen the claim for service connection of diverticulitis, and the veteran's hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease was evaluated as severe but not disabling enough to warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Diverticulitis, Hiatal Hernia with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2004
- Citation
- 0405909
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,325 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0405909.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and correction of duty to assist errors.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a gastrointestinal condition, to include GERD as secondary to his service-connected PTSD with alcohol use disorder. The evidence is in approximate balance concerning whether the Veteran's gastrointestinal condition is caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.
- Whole decision: Denied
Entitlement to a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis was denied.,Service connection for diverticulitis was denied as the evidence did not support its onset during service or its relation to an in-service injury or disease.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected IBS and diverticulitis were rated at the maximum 30 percent disability rating prior to January 12, 2023. The evidence did not show that she was unable to work due to her GI disability alone.
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