The Board has denied service connection for back disability, lower intestinal disorder (IBS and diverticulosis), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety and panic disorders. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions began during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,The Board found no credible evidence linking the Veteran's current diagnoses to her military service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a link between the Veteran’s current diagnoses and her military service. The STRs showed no complaints or findings for any of these conditions, and post-service treatment records indicated that they were first diagnosed many years after service separation.,The Veteran's statements regarding the onset of symptoms during service were deemed less credible due to the lack of contemporaneous medical documentation and the significant time gap between her military service and the onset of her current diagnoses.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disability, Lower intestinal disorder (IBS and diverticulosis), Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety and panic disorders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19179639
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,902 · Granted: 11% (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 19179639.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty 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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