The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for a low back disorder, hypertension, and COPD to include as secondary to herbicide exposure. The Board found no current diagnosis of a low back disorder and noted that there was no evidence of hypertension within one year of separation from active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the veteran did not have a current diagnosis of a low back disorder or hypertension, and thus could not establish service connection for these conditions. The Board also found insufficient evidence to support a finding of direct service connection for COPD as it was not linked to his period of active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disorder, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 27, 2008
- Citation
- 0821135
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 0821135.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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