The Veteran's hypertension and kidney cancer are granted service connection due to exposure to Agent Orange. Service connection for lymph node disability is denied, as there is no current diagnosis of such condition. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss prior to January 9, 2016, is not granted an initial compensable rating, while a 40 percent rating is granted thereafter.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange during service and has been diagnosed with hypertension and kidney cancer that are presumed related to this exposure. Service connection for lymph node disability is denied as there is no current diagnosis of such condition. The Veteran's hearing loss prior to January 9, 2016, does not meet the criteria for an initial compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, kidney cancer, lymph node disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18145508
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 18145508.
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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