The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 30 percent for hiatal hernia with non-erosive esophagitis was dismissed.,Service connection for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine is granted.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a heart disability and prostate disability are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a rating in excess of 30 percent for hiatal hernia with non-erosive esophagitis during the March 2020 Board hearing.,Service connection is granted based on continuity of symptomatology since service and medical evidence indicating degenerative changes to the lumbar spine.,The Veteran's service in Vietnam was not definitively established, and further efforts are needed to determine if he had exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- hiatal hernia with non-erosive esophagitis, degenerative disease of the lumbar spine, heart disability (to include coronary artery disease), prostate disability (to include chronic prostatitis with urinary tract infections)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20030829
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 20030829.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial 10 percent rating for migraines is granted, while a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied. Service connection is granted for pes planus, but not for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine, bilateral knee pain, hypertension, GERD, or sleep apnea and generalized anxiety disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for an evaluation higher than 10 percent for cervical degenerative joint disease prior to March 5, 2019 and entitlement to a total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine condition and his current degenerative disease of the lumbar spine.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim of increased rating for a left knee disability is denied as he withdrew his appeal without good cause. The Board also remanded the issue of TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.
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