The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hypertension, and thus service connection for this condition is denied. The issues of entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, left thumb disability, and left knee disability are remanded due to lack of recent VA examination records.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim for hypertension was not supported by current medical evidence showing a diagnosis or etiology related to his active service. The issues of bilateral hearing loss and disabilities of the left thumb and left knee require additional development as there is no recent VA examination record available.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, left thumb collateral ligament tear, left knee lateral collateral ligament injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2018
- Citation
- 18144664
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 18144664.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma but denied it for hypertension.
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