The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for GERD and service connection for sleep apnea were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating for GERD, as his symptoms did not warrant a 60% rating. For sleep apnea, the Board determined there was no causal relationship to service or any service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms of GERD and sleep apnea were not severe enough to warrant a higher disability rating, and there was insufficient evidence linking his current conditions to service or any service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- June 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19143342
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 17% (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 19143342.
What this means for you
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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 Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to insufficient evidence of record. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Dupuytren's contracture of the left hand, right hand, and GERD is remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and failure to consider toxic exposure risk activities during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's GERD is currently rated at 10 percent disabling, but the Board found that his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), finding that both conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lower back condition and sinusitis, respectively.
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