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Whole decision: Denied

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and pseudofolliculitis barbae. The claim for new and material evidence regarding PTSD was not reopened, and the initial rating for diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction remains at 20 percent.

The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's hypertension or pseudofolliculitis barbae began during active military service or is due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The veteran has not presented competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

Claimed conditions
Hypertension, Pseudofolliculitis barbae
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
April 13, 2005
Citation
0510538

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 0510538.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

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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