The Board has granted service connection for GERD and awarded a 30 percent disability rating. The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be related to in-service noise exposure, warranting secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's tinnitus is not related to acoustic trauma in service due to lack of complaints or changes from his induction examination, but the Board considered lay testimony and awarded secondary service connection based on credible reports of in-service noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- December 18, 2014
- Citation
- 1455734
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 1455734.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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