The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The skin condition is not rated higher than the current 30 percent, headaches are not due to an undiagnosed illness or service, pingueculae (left eye) has no causal link to service, fibromyalgia syndrome does not meet criteria for service connection, hair loss and cataracts do not have a direct link to service, and hypertension is being remanded.
The deciding factor: The veteran's skin condition does not warrant an increased rating as it does not cover more than 40 percent of the body or exposed areas affected. The headaches are attributed to muscle contraction/tension without evidence linking them to service. The pingueculae (left eye) is diagnosed and has no causal link to service. Fibromyalgia syndrome, joint pain, hair loss, and cataracts do not meet criteria for service connection as they have no direct link to service or an undiagnosed illness.
- Claimed conditions
- Cataracts (right eye), Chronic headaches, Dermatophytosis of the feet and crural areas, buttocks and sacral area, Fibromyalgia syndrome (claimed as joint pain), Hair loss, Hypertension, Pingueculae (left eye)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2006
- Citation
- 0614090
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,643 · Granted: 15% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0614090.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.