The Board denied service connection for hypertension, heart condition, and high cholesterol. Service connection was granted for pes planus but not for mechanical low back pain or pancreatitis with removal of gall bladder.
The deciding factor: Service connection cannot be granted for laboratory findings such as high cholesterol. Pes planus is presumed to have existed prior to service and no aggravation by service has been shown. Mechanical low back pain was not found to warrant a higher rating, and the pancreatitis condition did not meet criteria for a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Heart Condition, High Cholesterol, Pes Planus, Mechanical Low Back Pain, Pancreatitis with Removal of Gall Bladder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2007
- Citation
- 0700314
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 0700314.
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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Whole decision: 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.
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