The Board denied service connection for GERD, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected back and neck disabilities.
The deciding factor: The March 2020 VA medical opinion found that the Veteran's GERD was less likely than not proximately due to or the result of his service connected condition. The examiner also stated that there were no objective findings of bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and the Veteran did not suffer from any diagnosed LLE radiculopathy or RLE radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Left lower extremity radiculopathy, Right lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2024
- Citation
- A24069820
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 remands the matters for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted an effective date of July 31, 2012, for TDIU and October 22, 2012, for service connection of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Denied
The appeal for higher ratings and effective dates for various conditions was denied, with the exception of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy which were granted an earlier effective date.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
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