The Veteran's back disability is rated at 10 percent from September 4, 2004 to January 7, 2016 and a 20 percent rating thereafter. The Board has granted an increased rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's service-connected back disability beginning July 28, 2008.,The Veteran's GERD is rated at non-compensable from September 4, 2004 to January 7, 2016 and a 30 percent rating thereafter. The Board has granted an increased rating of 30 percent for the Veteran's service-connected GERD beginning September 26, 2011.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner noted that the Veteran reported having back pain when doing a lot of bending and heavy lifting, causing him to miss work. The Board found that this limitation of motion is not demonstrated on the September 2008 VA examination but was noted by the Veteran at his June 2015 hearing.,The VA examiner noted that the Veteran has recurrent epigastric distress with dysphasia, pyrosis, and regurgitation, accompanied by substernal or arm/shoulder pain. The Board found this to be sufficient for a 30 percent rating under DC 7346.
- Claimed conditions
- Back Disability, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- July 10, 2021
- Citation
- 21041790
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 21041790.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is granted a 70% rating, effective July 15, 2024. The Veteran's GERD remains at a 10% rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted at a 70 percent rating prior to July 29, 2024. The GERD rating remains at 30 percent disabled but no higher.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's IBS with GERD was granted an initial 60 percent rating. The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and development.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected IBS and GERD, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria.
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