The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD and has remanded his secondary service connection claim for lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine to include as secondary to left ankle osteoarthritis, residuals of shell fragment wound with fracture and strain left lateral malleolus.
The deciding factor: The evidence is not persuasive in establishing a nexus between GERD and service or any other etiology. For the secondary service connection claim, additional medical opinions are needed to address whether lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine were caused by or aggravated by left ankle osteoarthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- GERD, lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine and associated lumbar radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2023
- Citation
- A23029077
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 A23029077.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA opinion and a need for further examination.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD is granted, and the appeal to restore a 40% rating for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc other than IVDS, central canal stenosis, and scoliosis prior to June 1, 2024 is dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically failing to obtain an opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his accidental drowning death.
- Granted
The Board has granted an initial disability rating of 10 percent for GERD, effective May 31, 2019. The Veteran's GERD is currently manifested by infrequent episodes of epigastric distress and pyrosis.
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