The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and a psychiatric condition, finding no evidence of their onset during service or secondary to a service-connected disability. The claim for service connection for a low back condition was also denied as there is no current diagnosis in the low back aggravated by or incurred coincident with service.,The Board noted that while the Veteran had complaints of back pain and diagnoses of dorsolumbar scoliosis during service, these were not shown to have preexisted service. The VHA expert concluded that any current degenerative disc disease is not related to service.
The deciding factor: There was no clear and unmistakable evidence showing a low back condition preexisting service or chronicity of the condition during service. The August 2016 VHA expert found no evidence of in-service worsening, and concluded that any current degenerative disc disease is not related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Low Back Condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2017
- Citation
- 1700232
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 1700232.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.