The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for Barrett's esophagus and esophagitis is denied as there are no records showing a prior claim or consideration of additional STRs.
The deciding factor: There is no legal basis for assignment of any earlier effective date, and because the preponderance of the evidence is against a claim for any earlier effective date, the Board finds that the claim must be denied.
- Claimed conditions
- Barrett's esophagus, esophagitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2018
- Citation
- 1805348
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 1805348.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastritis, Barrett's esophagus, and obstructive sleep apnea but dismissed the claim for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis, GERD, and Barrett's esophagus due to insufficient evidence regarding their relationship to in-service sun exposure or service-connected hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to a prohibited concurrent election under VA claims processing rules.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a GI disability and left knee disability, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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