The Board denied service connection for GERD, pancreatitis, kidney disease, and Barrett's Esophagus as the evidence did not support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.
The deciding factor: The October 2024 VA examiners provided negative nexus opinions based on the lack of medical evidence supporting a relationship between the Veteran's TERA exposure and his claimed conditions, as well as the absence of symptoms during service and onset many years later.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), pancreatitis, kidney disease, Barrett's Esophagus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25057129
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 claim for service connection for cause of death to obtain a new medical opinion due to errors in previous examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for kidney disease, mass on kidney, and thyroidectomy was withdrawn by the Veteran's attorney representative.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Dismissed
The appeal of entitlement to a higher rating for kidney disease was dismissed due to procedural defects in the filing of the Notice of Disagreement.
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.