The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and visual disability, including refractive errors and cataracts, are not related to his active service. The Veteran's hypertension was not diagnosed within one year of separation from service, and there is no evidence linking it to service. His current visual disabilities are considered developmental defects and not diseases or injuries for which service connection can be granted.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's current conditions and his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Refractive Errors (including myopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism), Cataracts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1757669
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 1757669.
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
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- Denied
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- 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.
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