The Board has determined that the veteran's current GERD is not attributable to his active military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: There is no causal nexus between the veteran's active service and his current GERD. The July 2005 VA examiner opined that the veteran's current GERD was more likely due to predisposing factors such as a high Body Mass Index (BMI) and history of hiatal hernia, rather than any verified episodes in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2006
- Citation
- 0636146
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 108 · Granted: 15% (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 0636146.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's GERD is rated at 10 percent since May 2023. The Board has granted an initial rating of 60 percent for the condition, effective from May 19, 2024.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection of sinusitis is dismissed. The appeals for cervical spine disability, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, GERD, and migraine disability are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) is being remanded due to an error in the AOJ decision and a need for a hearing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's GI disorder is related to his service, but the AOJ needs to determine which specific deployment or exposure caused it. The PACT Act requires this determination.
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