The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spines, arthralgia of the right knee, peripheral artery disease, and hypertension have all been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish a link between the Veteran's current disabilities and his military service, with the exception of the presumed herbicide exposure for peripheral artery disease and hypertension. The Veteran's reported symptoms are inconsistent with the onset of his claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Recurrent sinusitis, Allergic rhinitis, Bilateral hearing loss, Hyperlipidemia, Skin cancer (presumed due to herbicide exposure), Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with lumbar radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, Degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine with foraminal stenosis and radiculopathy, Arthralgia, status post meniscectomy of the right knee, Peripheral artery disease of the bilateral lower extremities (presumed due to herbicide exposure), Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2017
- Citation
- 1700036
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 1700036.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- 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.
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