Service connection is granted for a throat condition, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), right knee disability, and hemorrhoids.,A 40 percent disability rating for low back disability prior to June 22, 2017 was granted.
The deciding factor: Service connection is warranted as the evidence shows that the Veteran's functional impairment had its onset during service and has been recurrent since then. The positive medical opinion supports this claim.,The February 2019 examiner opined that the Veteran’s condition was at least as likely as not incurred in or caused by the claimed in-service injury, event or illness.
- Claimed conditions
- Throat condition, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Right knee disability, Hemorrhoids, Low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20004387
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (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 20004387.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- 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.
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