The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy proximately caused or aggravated his hypertension. Therefore, service connection for hypertension is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's increasing medication needs to control his hypertension are indicative of an overall increase in the severity of his disorder, which may be related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and associated complications.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, diabetes mellitus, diabetic nephropathy
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2016
- Citation
- 1606773
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 1606773.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- 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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