Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2025

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for hypertension due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes and hypertension due to an inadequate record regarding potential Agent Orange exposure.

The Board granted ratings for peripheral neuropathy in the upper and lower extremities, denied a compensable rating for hypertension, and granted service connection for anemia and erectile dysfunction as secondary conditions.

The Board granted the Veteran an initial rating of 10 percent for hypertension based on a history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more that requires continuous medication for control.

The appeal for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was dismissed, and several other claims were remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for hypertension as the evidence did not show that his blood pressure readings met the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board granted an effective date of September 29, 2023 for the grants of service connection for bladder cancer, skin rash due to chemotherapy, residuals of prostate cancer, hypertension and erectile dysfunction.

The Board granted an effective date of April 26, 2021, but no earlier, for service connection for coronary artery disease and a 30 percent rating from January 30, 2023, for hiatal hernia with Barrett's metaplasia with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), while denying an effective date prior to August 10, 2022, for service connection for hypertension.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but remanded the claims for hypertension, a respiratory condition, arthritis, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to further development needed.

The Board remands the claim for a new medical opinion to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's cause of death, specifically regarding its relation to presumed herbicide agent exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension as there was no competent evidence of a current diagnosis during the claim period.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for hypertension as there was no evidence of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more, or systolic pressure predominantly 160 or more during the appeal period.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and hypertension to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error related to verifying the Veteran's claimed herbicide exposure.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension, ischemic heart disease, parkinsonism (also claimed as tremors), and shortness of breath to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error related to verifying the Veteran's claimed herbicide agent exposure in Okinawa.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for hypertension to ensure additional development is completed, specifically regarding whether hypertension is secondary to PTSD with obesity as an intermediate step.

The appeal for an initial compensable rating for hypertension was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy and hypertension, but denied service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and an initial compensable rating for hypothyroidism. Tinnitus was also granted.

The Board granted service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension based on presumptive exposure to Agent Orange during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.

The Board found that the reduction in rating for residuals of prostate cancer status post robotic prostatectomy in remission from 100 percent to 20 percent was not in accordance with law and is void ab initio, and the issue of entitlement to a TDIU is dismissed as moot.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for hypertension to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as VA did not provide the Veteran with an examination or medical opinion in connection with this claim.