The Board remands the claims for service connection for GERD with hiatal hernia and hypertension, as new and relevant evidence has been received. The claims for allergic rhinitis, sinus condition, ankle gout, recurrent left shoulder dislocation, and right knee disability are denied as no new and relevant evidence was submitted.
The deciding factor: The 2023 VA medical opinions and treatment records were added to the claims file after the previous denials, making them relevant to the Veteran's claims for GERD with hiatal hernia and hypertension. However, the evidence provided does not establish a link between these conditions and service for the other claims.
- Claimed conditions
- gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with hiatal hernia, hypertension (high blood pressure), allergic rhinitis, sinus condition, ankle gout, recurrent left shoulder dislocation, right knee torn ACL to include arthritis (right knee disability)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25018024
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 835 · Granted: 22% (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 A25018024.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance, leading to the grant of SMC based on aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examination provided in April 2024 was inadequate for adjudication purposes and remands the case for a new examination to determine if the Veteran's sinus condition is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete findings and failure to properly address the onset, cause, and nature of his conditions. The VA will need to schedule examinations to determine if his rhinitis and bilateral hand disabilities are related to service.
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