The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension is unrelated to his active duty service and denied service connection for this condition. The Board also found that the Veteran's back injury residuals, left knee chondromalacia patella, and right knee chondromalacia patella are not entitled to increased disability ratings as they do not meet the criteria established by VA regulations.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show a current diagnosis of hypertension during service or within one year after discharge. The Veteran's statements regarding his hypertension were not considered probative, and there was no medical evidence linking his current condition to his active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Back injury residuals, Left knee chondromalacia patella, Right knee chondromalacia patella
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2009
- Citation
- 0948183
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 0948183.
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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