The Veteran's hypertension is not shown by the competent medical evidence of record to be etiologically related to a disease, injury, or event in service or to a service-connected disability. Service connection for hypertension cannot be granted on a presumptive basis under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(a).
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence of record linking the Veteran's hypertension to his presumed herbicide exposure, and the Veteran himself has not asserted that he developed hypertension during service or as a direct result of his active duty service except insofar as he asserts it is due to his (presumed) herbicide exposure. The Board finds that there is no duty to remand the Veteran's claim for such an opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 22, 2013
- Citation
- 1338367
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 1338367.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- 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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