The Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to August 10, 2022, for service connection of GERD and an earlier effective date for a 30 percent rating for GERD with achalasia were denied. The Board found that the criteria for these awards did not meet the legal requirements as per the applicable regulations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims are based on direct service connection, without any presumption or secondary theory of entitlement. The effective dates cannot be earlier than the date of enactment of the PACT Act and the effective date of the new rating criteria for GERD under Diagnostic Code 7206.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with achalasia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- March 19, 2026
- Citation
- A26024824
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 A26024824.
What this means for you
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