The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and a higher rating for lumbosacral strain. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the veteran's current hypertension to his service or any service-connected condition, and thus denied service connection on both direct and presumptive bases. For lumbosacral strain, the Board noted that isolated elevated blood pressure readings during service were a normal response to pain, but did not cause sustained hypertension. The Board also found no evidence of aggravation by the veteran's service-connected lumbar strain.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA physicians indicated that the veteran's current hypertension was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar strain and was instead a result of isolated elevated blood pressure readings during service, which were considered normal responses to pain. The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current hypertension to his service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 30, 2007
- Citation
- 0702811
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 0702811.
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.
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