GERD and Celiac Visual Guide Library

28 printable one-page charts across two digestive conditions, covering how VA GERD and celiac disease claims work: the current Diagnostic Code 7206 ladder that took effect May 19, 2024 and replaced the old analogous hiatal-hernia framework, what documented stricture and dysphagia actually have to show, the direct, secondary, aggravation and medication pathways to service connection, the Diagnostic Code 7355 celiac malabsorption levels and why a medically prescribed gluten-free diet is written into the criteria rather than counted against you, the nutritional laboratory and biopsy evidence that separates one level from the next, what happens at the examination, and research on the outcomes, denial reasons and opinion patterns that appear in published Board decisions.

28 visual guides across two conditions. 8 research charts refresh from RateMyVSO's analysis of 1.9M+ published BVA decisions, four per condition, each printing its own denominator. The other 20 state the rating criteria in 38 CFR 4.114 and change only when the regulation does.

How to use this library

Every guide is a single tall image sized for printing or saving to your phone. Select any card to open the full-resolution image, or use the download link under it. Use the filter to narrow to one condition. The rating and evidence charts summarize the published criteria; the research charts report what RateMyVSO measured in published Board decisions, with the denominator printed on the chart itself.

These charts catalogue the published rating criteria and what appears in published Board decisions. The two conditions keep separate records and are never pooled: the GERD charts count roughly thirty-two thousand decisions and the celiac charts a few hundred, so a combined figure would be the GERD figure wearing a digestive label. That is also why celiac has a research-limits chart in place of a theory comparison. Each research chart names its own denominator, and they are not interchangeable: an outcome share counts all coded issue outcomes including remands, while a denial share counts only classified service-connection denials. A grant rate inside an opinion group describes decided appeals and is not evidence that the opinion caused the outcome, nor a prediction about any individual claim. These charts are not legal or medical advice. For the full written guidance, start with the GERD or celiac disease claims guide.

Common Questions

Can I download, print, and share these guides?
Yes. Every guide has a free full-resolution PNG download, sized for printing on letter paper or reading on a phone. Share them freely; please keep the footer attribution intact so readers can find the underlying data.
How current are the research numbers?
The research charts are regenerated every week from the same data files that power this site's live digestive statistics. Each chart prints the generation date of its own data sources in the footer, so you always know exactly when its numbers were produced.
Do these charts predict my claim?
No. They report what happened in published Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions, which are appeals, not initial claims, and are described with their exact sample on each chart. An observed grant share is a description of past decided cases, never a probability for any individual claim.

Related Tools and Guides

GERD Claims Guide
The written guidance behind the GERD charts, including the current DC 7206 criteria.
Celiac Disease Claims Guide
DC 7355, the malabsorption levels, and what the prescribed diet means.
GERD Secondary to PTSD
The most common secondary pathway for a GERD claim.
BVA Decision Search
Search the published Board decisions these research charts are built from.
Educational use only. These visual guides catalogue published VA rules and observed outcomes in published Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions. They are not legal or medical advice, do not predict any individual claim, and are not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sample sizes and data dates are printed on each chart.