The Board has granted service connection for GERD and remanded the issues of service connection for sinus disability and headaches.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms of GERD with hiatal hernia are found to have started during his active service, and he is credible in reporting this onset. The VA medical opinions provided were inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding the continuity of his symptoms.
- 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
- March 11, 2021
- Citation
- 21014075
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 21014075.
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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