The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD, hiatal hernia, achalasia, and hiccough, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not due to environmental exposures in Southwest Asia. The decision also found that the Veteran's medications used to treat his service-connected foot and back condition exacerbated his stomach condition.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran's achalasia may be attributed to service, and that his GERD, hiatal hernia, achalasia, and hiccough are proximately due to the medications required to treat his foot and back condition.
- Claimed conditions
- GERD, hiatal hernia, achalasia, hiccough
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2024
- Citation
- A24029444
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 A24029444.
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.
- 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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