The Veteran's hypertension claim has been reopened, but the Board is remanding her cervical spine and lumbar spine disability ratings as well as her headache disability rating for additional development. The case will be further reviewed after these issues are addressed.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence received since the last final denial of service connection for hypertension includes new blood pressure readings during military service, which may support a finding that hypertension is related to service. However, more current medical information is needed to assess the severity and progression of her cervical spine, lumbar spine, and headache disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine (C4-5, C6-7), Degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy with sensory loss L5-S1, Chronic headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2010
- Citation
- 1000454
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 1000454.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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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