The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for GERD, hiatal hernia, and IBS to obtain a new VA examination and medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The previous VA opinions were inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms during the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- GERD, hiatal hernia, IBS
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069774
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a head injury, headache disorder, erectile dysfunction, left earache disorder, chronic fatigue, right shoulder disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, right foot disorder, GERD, and left shoulder disorder, as the evidence did not support current diagnoses of these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for GERD and hiatal hernia, effective March 31, 2020, but denied an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeal of all claims currently pending before the Board, including those for an earlier effective date for hypothyroidism and higher ratings for various conditions.
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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.