The Veteran's appeal for service connection for left middle finger injury is dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for Barrett's Esophagus associated with irritable bowel syndrome with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is denied.,The Veteran's secondary service connection claim for degenerative arthritis, right (claimed as right shoulder condition), to the service-connected disability of left shoulder strain with degenerative arthritis is remanded.,The Veteran's service connection claim for degenerative arthritis of lumbar spine (claimed as back condition) is remanded.,The Veteran's service connection claim for right hip condition (claimed as bilateral hip condition) is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for left middle finger injury during the February 2022 Board hearing.,The evidence does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for Barrett's Esophagus.,The right shoulder condition is less likely than not (less than 50 percent probability) proximately due to or the result of the Veteran's service-connected disability of left shoulder strain with degenerative arthritis.,The examiner found no evidence of chronic back disability and treatment in service, concluding that the Veteran's degenerative lumbar disc disease is more likely from civilian occupation working with railroad as signal maintainer, and part of generalized degeneration due to age.,The Veteran participated in numerous parachute jumps during active duty, which may have contributed to his current hip condition.
- Claimed conditions
- left middle finger injury, Barrett's Esophagus, degenerative arthritis, right (claimed as right shoulder condition), degenerative arthritis of lumbar spine (claimed as back condition), right hip condition (claimed as bilateral hip condition)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2024
- Citation
- 24005727
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 24005727.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for GERD, pancreatitis, kidney disease, and Barrett's Esophagus as the evidence did not support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for GERD, Barrett's esophagus, hypertension, and tension headaches as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for Barrett's Esophagus and GERD to obtain a new VA examination that adequately considers the Veteran's lay statements regarding his experiences in and out of service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left wrist condition, left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and a left middle finger injury due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his in-service hand injury.
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