The Veteran's claims of service connection for gastritis with positive helicobacter pylori test and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), psoriasis, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea were denied as there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found that the Veteran's conditions did not have onset during his periods of active service or could be attributed to known clinical diagnoses. The Persian Gulf War presumption of service connection for undiagnosed illnesses and medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illnesses was also not applicable as there were no indications of such conditions in the medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"gastritis with positive helicobacter pylori test and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)","diagnosis_date":null,"service_connection_theory":"direct"}, {"condition_name":"psoriasis","diagnosis_date":null,"service_connection_theory":"direct"}, {"condition_name":"hypertension","diagnosis_date":null,"service_connection_theory":"direct"}, {"condition_name":"obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)","diagnosis_date":null,"service_connection_theory":"direct"}
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2020
- Citation
- A20017810
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
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.