The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic stomach pain is denied as there is no evidence linking his current gastrointestinal or gastroesophageal disabilities to active duty service.,The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for a service-connected low back disability is denied due to lack of forward flexion of 30 degrees or less or ankylosis.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran’s current gastrointestinal or gastroesophageal disabilities to his active duty service.,The VA examinations did not show forward flexion of 30 degrees or less, and there was no evidence of ankylosis in the Veteran's lumbar spine.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic stomach pain, gastroesophageal issues, gastrointestinal issues
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19110478
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19110478.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew all issues on appeal before the Board could make a decision.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's gastrointestinal disability, including irritable bowel syndrome, is at least as likely as not related to her service and has granted her claim for service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's right hand degenerative arthritis is granted service connection. The issues of depression, insomnia, hypertension (secondary to depression), eczema, gastrointestinal issues, and left hand disability are remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal, requesting no further action on his service connection and increased rating claims.
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