The Veteran's claim to establish service connection for a right ankle disability has been reopened. Service connection for GERD is granted as it is aggravated by medications prescribed for her service-connected disabilities. The issues of increased evaluations for bursitis and left ankle surgery residuals are dismissed.
The deciding factor: Evidence showed that the Veteran’s GERD was aggravated by medications used to treat her service-connected disabilities, specifically NSAIDs for pain management of her service-connected low back, right hip, and left ankle disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Right Ankle Disability","diagnoses":["Residuals of right ankle fracture"]}, {"condition_name":"Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)","diagnoses":["Gastritis","H. pylori infection","Mild duodenitis with duodenal ulcer and mild dyspepsia"]}
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005787
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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