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Denied

The Board denied service connection for an esophageal condition, including GERD, hernia hiatal, Barrett's esophagus, and high-grade dysplasia, as the evidence did not support a causal link to in-service exposure or a service-connected disability.

The deciding factor: The nurse practitioner opined that there was no medical evidence supporting a direct connection between the Veteran's current esophageal conditions and his military service, including any in-service exposure to herbicides or other incidents of service. The opinions also found that the Veteran's esophageal conditions were not aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.

Claimed conditions
esophageal condition, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hernia hiatal, Barrett's esophagus, high-grade dysplasia
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
May 12, 2025
Citation
25006399

Veterans Law Judge

Timothy Cothrel

Decisions by this judge: 696 · Granted: 63% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

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 25006399.

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