The Veteran's GERD and Barrett's Disease are being remanded for further evaluation due to the lack of a VA examination addressing the etiology of his gastrointestinal condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no VA presumption of service connection for GERD as due to herbicide exposure, and thus needs an opinion on whether the Veteran’s GERD is related to his in-service herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Barrett's Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19188345
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 19188345.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted a 10 percent evaluation for the Veteran's GERD, finding that his condition is productive of daily medications to control dysphagia and is otherwise asymptomatic.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and increased evaluations for GERD, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and TBI.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings, except for a granted 30 percent rating for headache disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and right hand strain, increased the ratings for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, dyshidrotic eczema, and hypertension, and denied service connection for Parkinsonism, pes planus/flat feet, GERD, tinea versicolor, allergic rhinitis, and tinnitus. The Board also granted a TDIU.
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