The Board denied service connection for gastrointestinal signs or symptoms, finding no causal relationship between the Veteran's current condition and her military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that it is less likely than not that the Veteran's GERD was caused by toxic exposure during service, citing known risk factors such as diet and lifestyle issues. The Board found this opinion to be more probative than the Veteran's lay statements.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal signs or symptoms
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25032004
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,185 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A25032004.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran requested the withdrawal of all issues currently on appeal, and the Board dismissed the appeals.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions due to an error in verifying the Veteran's active service and obtaining his complete service personnel records and treatment records.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for gastrointestinal, upper respiratory, and cardiovascular signs or symptoms effective August 10, 2022, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and erectile dysfunction. Tinnitus was also granted.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for neuropsychiatric signs or symptoms, fatigue, headaches, dyspnea, an unspecified anxiety disorder, non-allergic rhinitis, and gastrointestinal signs or symptoms due to undiagnosed illness. A 10 percent rating was also granted for a right foot scar.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.