The Veteran's application to reopen her claim for service connection for hypertension was denied. Service connection for bilateral foot disabilities, left foot hammertoes, and arthritis of the cervical spine were granted. The issues regarding service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine and an ear disability (to include dermatitis or eczema) are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's application to reopen her claim for hypertension was denied because no new and material evidence was submitted, as the newly added evidence was cumulative and redundant of previous evidence. The issues regarding service connection for arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine were remanded due to inadequate opinions based on the absence of a disability in service.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, bilateral foot disabilities (including pes cavus and metatarsalgia), left foot hammertoes, arthritis, degenerative (claimed as cervical spine), arthritis, degenerative (claimed as lumbar spine), ear disability (to include dermatitis or eczema)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2018
- Citation
- 18124367
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 18124367.
What this means for you
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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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