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Whole decision: Granted

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a back disability attributable to his military service and finds no new and material evidence to reopen his claim of service connection for hypertension. The decision is granted on both issues.

The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion in October 2001 concluded that the veteran's current back disorder is not related to injuries sustained during service, and there was no surgery until an industrial accident in 1975.

Claimed conditions
Back Disability, Hypertension
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
December 3, 2002
Citation
0217457

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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0217457.

What this means for you

A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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