The Board denied service connection for hypertension, a low back disorder, and arthritis of both hands as the evidence did not show that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that there was no evidence to support a link between the veteran's current conditions and his period of service. The record does not contain any competent medical evidence showing a nexus to service for any of the claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive vascular disease, low back disorder (lumbar degenerative changes with chronic pain), arthritis of both hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2008
- Citation
- 0815055
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for hypertensive vascular disease due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, for purposes of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for hypertensive vascular disease was dismissed, while service connection for reactive airway disease (claimed as restrictive lung disease) was granted. The appeals for sleep apnea, left knee disability, and right knee disability were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the veteran's claims for further development, including obtaining additional evidence and providing an examination.
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