The Veteran's claims for left shoulder injury, sleep apnea, bruxism/TMJ, hearing loss, and a compensable evaluation for sinusitis have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of these claims.,Service connection for GERD has been denied as there is no evidence that it began during service or is related to an in-service injury or disease. The claim for PTSD has also been denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding left shoulder injury, sleep apnea, bruxism/TMJ, hearing loss, and a compensable evaluation for sinusitis.,There is no evidence that GERD began during service or is related to an in-service injury or disease. The claim for PTSD has not been confirmed as the Veteran did not meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19185961
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 19185961.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military 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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