The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for rheumatoid arthritis and esophagitis, as well as his claim for TDIU due to his failure to report for scheduled VA examinations. The secondary service connection claim was also denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran failed without good cause to appear for scheduled VA examinations which were necessary to evaluate the severity of his service-connected conditions and determine his eligibility for benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis of multiple joints, esophagitis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2006
- Citation
- 0635317
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,555 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0635317.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's initial disability rating for migraine headaches has been granted at 50 percent. The issue of service connection for hiatal hernia and esophagitis, related to PTSD, is remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Granted
The Veteran's GERD with esophagitis is granted as secondary to his service-connected migraine headaches.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for esophagitis and gastric ulcer/gastritis, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his active military service. The decision is based on evidence showing exposure to a toxic environment during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a stomach condition, including gastritis and esophagitis, due to an inadequate rationale in the previous medical opinion. A new examination is required to determine if any current stomach conditions are related to service, particularly exposure to contaminants at Camp Lejeune.
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