The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and an increased rating for major depression, finding that there is at least a reasonable doubt as to whether his current hypertension disability is related to his service-connected conditions. The Veteran will need to undergo another VA examination to determine the severity of his major depression.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence was in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension is secondary to his service-connected conditions, and thus granted service connection for hypertension. For the increased rating claim, the Board noted that a new examination was needed as the existing one from 2009 did not account for recent symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, major depression
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- November 21, 2011
- Citation
- 1142716
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 1142716.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- 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.
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