The Board denied service connection for GERD and Barrett's esophagus, finding that these conditions are not secondary to the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder, unspecified depressive disorder, and unspecified sleep wake disorder with TBI.
The deciding factor: The probative medical evidence of record indicates that the Veteran's hiatal hernia and weight are more likely causes of his GERD and Barrett's esophagus, rather than being secondary to his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2024
- Citation
- A24072719
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to a prohibited concurrent election under VA claims processing rules.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a new and relevant evidence to readjudicate the claim for Barrett's esophagus, and also granted an initial rating of 30 percent for GERD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for skin cancer, type II diabetes, hypertension, ulcerative colitis with polyps, stomach ulcers, Barrett's esophagus, and fatty liver to correct duty-to-assist errors.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension on a direct basis and remanded the claim for service connection for Barrett's esophagus to obtain an additional opinion.
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