The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate opinions and missing medical records, particularly regarding whether the Veteran's GERD and hiatal hernia are related to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an adequate rationale for their opinion on whether the Veteran’s medications caused or aggravated his GERD and hiatal hernia.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), Hiatal hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21005991
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 21005991.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's GERD is rated at 10 percent since May 2023. The Board has granted an initial rating of 60 percent for the condition, effective from May 19, 2024.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's GERD with hiatal hernia and dysphagia, finding that there was no documented history of esophageal stricture requiring daily medications to control dysphagia.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection of sinusitis is dismissed. The appeals for cervical spine disability, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, GERD, and migraine disability are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his service-connected GERD and hiatal hernia status post Nissen fundoplication is being remanded due to the need for a retrospective medical opinion regarding the severity of his symptoms at the time of the March 2021 VA examination.
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