Under the current GERD rating criteria (38 CFR 4.114, Diagnostic Code 7346, as revised), a 0 percent evaluation generally applies when the condition is asymptomatic or does not require daily medication for control. If your VA treatment records and the examiner's own DBQ document daily use of medication for GERD-related symptoms, and the rating decision still states that no daily medication is required, that is a factual inconsistency that can form the basis of a Higher-Level Review (HLR) under 38 CFR 3.2601, filed on VA Form 20-0996.
An HLR does not allow new evidence; the reviewer looks only at the evidence that was of record when the original decision was made and determines whether there was a clear error in how that evidence was weighed or applied, often called clear and unmistakable error or simply a difference of opinion review. If the DBQ and treatment notes already show daily medication use, pointing that out directly to the reviewer, and having your representative frame it as an error in applying 4.114's criteria to evidence already in file, is exactly the kind of issue the HLR process is designed to catch. Many veterans who have had similar factual mismatches between the DBQ findings and the rating rationale have had success at this stage, though outcomes are not guaranteed and depend heavily on how clearly the record supports daily medication use for GERD specifically, since medication for an unrelated condition would not count.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →If the HLR is denied, you are not out of options. You can still file a Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence, such as a fully updated medical opinion or pharmacy records tying the medication directly to GERD symptoms, or appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals using VA Form 10182. Because HLR reviewers are supposed to work strictly from the existing record, it is important that the DBQ and any treatment notes clearly and unambiguously tie the daily medication to GERD management, not just list it among other prescriptions.
The concrete next step is to make sure your attorney has flagged, in writing, the specific pages of the DBQ and treatment records showing daily GERD medication, so the HLR reviewer has an unmistakable paper trail connecting those records directly to the rating criteria under Diagnostic Code 7346.
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