The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the claim.,Service connection was granted for erectile dysfunction secondary to diabetes mellitus. The Board found in favor of the Veteran based on the presence of current disability and symptomatology related to his service-connected condition.,The effective date for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus was denied as there was no evidence of a claim prior to August 14, 2012.,An initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Veteran's hearing acuity did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,A higher than 70 percent rating for PTSD was denied as there were no additional symptoms or complications beyond those already established by service connection.,The Board found that the Veteran had not provided new and material evidence to reopen his claim of service connection for hypertension.
The deciding factor: The newly received evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim on appeal, thus is not new and material and this claim is not reopened.,The private treatment records provided by the Veteran indicated a current diagnosis of erectile dysfunction related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Board gave the Veteran the benefit of doubt in favor of his claim for secondary service connection.,There was no evidence of an intent to file a claim prior to August 14, 2012, and thus the earliest possible effective date is August 14, 2012.,The Veteran's hearing acuity did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA regulations.,There were no additional symptoms or complications beyond those already established by service connection that would warrant a higher than 70 percent rating for PTSD.,The newly received evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim on appeal, thus is not new and material and this claim is not reopened.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, erectile dysfunction, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus with cataracts, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 5, 2018
- Citation
- 18140680
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 18140680.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
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