The Veteran's claims for service connection for GERD as secondary to his asbestos pleural plaque with mild reactive airway (pulmonary condition) and TDIU prior to February 29, 2016 are being remanded due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether any of the medication he takes for his pulmonary condition causes or aggravates his GERD.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that a medical opinion is necessary to address the Veteran's assertion that his GERD is caused by or aggravated by the medication he takes for his service-connected pulmonary condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), Asbestos pleural plaque with mild reactive airway (pulmonary condition)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20073825
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 20073825.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection of GERD, finding that there is no evidence to support a relationship between her current condition and her military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted an initial rating of 60 percent for the Veteran's service-connected gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), finding that his symptoms, including pain, vomiting, and sleep disturbances, are productive of severe impairment of health.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is granted as the Veteran's initial 40 percent rating for service-connected lumbar spine disability is restored. The remaining issues on appeal are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and other procedural errors.
- Granted
The Veteran's GERD was incurred during service and the Board granted service connection for this condition.
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