The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for GERD, hypertension, lumbar spine myalgia, and DDD. The Board found that the preexisting back conditions were not aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The STRs did not show any worsening of the preexisting back conditions during service, and there was no evidence of aggravation in the post-service treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), Hypertension, Lumbar spine myalgia, Lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 24, 2011
- Citation
- 1124138
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 1124138.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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