The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability, heart disease, hiatal hernia, and memory loss are all denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service.
The deciding factor: The medical records do not provide sufficient evidence to establish a link between the Veteran’s current diagnoses and his military service, including exposure to environmental contaminants in Southwest Asia.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability with radiculopathy on the left, heart disease, hiatal hernia, memory loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19102830
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 service connection for chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for memory loss and found that the issue of TDIU from September 6, 2022 is moot.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for fibromyalgia was granted with an effective date of August 14, 2023. The appeals for earlier effective dates and higher ratings were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for GERD and hiatal hernia, effective March 31, 2020, but denied an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating.
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