The Veteran is seeking service connection for hypertension, which he contends is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and/or due to exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service. The Board finds that additional development of the evidence is needed to determine if service connection can be granted on either theory.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not consider whether the Veteran's hypertension was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes, nor whether it was due to exposure to Agent Orange in the Republic of Vietnam. These opinions are necessary to complete the determination as to whether service connection for the Veteran's hypertension is warranted.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2011
- Citation
- 1138802
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 1138802.
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.
- 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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