The veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for hiatal hernia, lumbar discogenic syndrome, and headaches have been denied.,The veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disability has been granted with an effective date of March 24, 1995. However, his requests for increased ratings for the condition remain denied.,For hiatal hernia, the veteran is currently rated at 10 percent and there are no higher ratings available under applicable diagnostic codes.,For lumbar discogenic syndrome, the veteran's current rating of 10 percent remains unchanged. The highest possible rating (20%) has not been met due to lack of severe limitation of motion.,For headaches (claimed as brain syndrome), the veteran is currently rated at 10 percent and there are no higher ratings available under applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The effective dates for service connection were determined based on when the claims were received, not when entitlement arose. The veteran's requests for increased ratings remain denied due to lack of evidence showing that the conditions meet the criteria for higher ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- hiatal hernia, lumbar discogenic syndrome, headaches (claimed as brain syndrome)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2008
- Citation
- 0819771
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 0819771.
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 Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate development of her exposure history and lack of adequate medical opinions. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's TDIU rating is granted with an effective date of March 15, 2017.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's GERD with hiatal hernia is rated at a 30 percent disability rating, effective March 12, 2021.
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