The Veteran's GERD and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease have been remanded for further development, including obtaining retrospective medical opinions regarding the severity of his conditions without considering the ameliorative effects of medication.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not provide estimates of functional loss during flare-ups or address the impact of medications on the Veteran's GERD and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with erosive gastritis, Lumbar spine degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2023
- Citation
- 23061495
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 23061495.
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 Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection was denied for a groin condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right ankle ankylosis and knee replacements, have prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since January 30, 2024. The Board has granted a TDIU based on this finding.
- Denied
The Veteran's attempts to appeal his service connection claim for degenerative arthritis as secondary to lumbar spine degenerative disc disease were denied. The Board also remanded the issues of a rating greater than 20 percent for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's eligibility for enrollment in VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) due to her not requiring personal care services for a minimum of six continuous months based on an inability to perform one or more activities of daily living, a need for supervision or protection, or a need for regular or extensive instruction without which the ability to function in daily life would be seriously impaired.
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