The Veteran's acid reflux prior to May 1, 2013 was not manifested by symptoms of persistent recurrent epigastric distress with dysphagia, pyrosis, and regurgitation, accompanied by substernal or arm/shoulder pain, productive of considerable impairment of health. Therefore, a rating greater than 10 percent is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's acid reflux symptoms prior to May 1, 2013 did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation as they were not characterized by persistent recurrent epigastric distress with dysphagia, pyrosis, and regurgitation, accompanied by substernal or arm/shoulder pain, productive of considerable impairment of health.
- Claimed conditions
- Acid reflux
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19186252
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 19186252.
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's appeal was dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review options, as the Higher-Level Review requests were still pending and not withdrawn at the time the VA Form 10182 was submitted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for Barrett's disease, also claimed as GERD and acid reflux, to obtain a VA nexus opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for acid reflux, right and left hip, right and left knee, and right ankle disabilities as the evidence did not support a finding of chronic disability during or related to active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and to provide the Veteran with notice concerning his right to a hearing on his supplemental claim.
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