The Veteran's hypertension is granted, and his peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities are rated at 20 percent each. His peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities (sciatic nerve) are rated at 40 percent each since June 18, 2013, and his peripheral neuropathy of the anterior femoral nerves are rated at 20 percent each.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hypertension is presumed to be due to herbicide exposure. The VA internist provided a positive nexus opinion relating the Veteran’s peripheral neuropathy to service or a service-connected disability (diabetes mellitus).
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity sciatic nerve, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity sciatic nerve, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity anterior femoral nerve, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity anterior femoral nerve
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 12, 2018
- Citation
- 18109648
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 18109648.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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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