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Whole decision: Denied

The Veteran's service connection claim for hypertension was denied. His right foot disability, rated as 30 percent disabling under DC 5276 and now rated at 40 percent under DC 5284, is granted. The Veteran also received a grant of TDIU based on his combined service-connected disabilities.

The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's hypertension to his service or any service-connected disability. For his right foot disability, the Board determined that the symptoms were analogous to loss of use of the foot and granted a 40 percent rating under DC 5284. The TDIU was granted as the combined effect of all service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

Claimed conditions
hypertension, right foot traumatic pes planus
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
August 2, 2018
Citation
18123149

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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18123149.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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