The Veteran's lumbar spine osteoarthritis is granted as incurred in service.,The Veteran's right fourth toe arthroplasty disability has been rated based on the Amputation Rule and no higher rating can be assigned.,Service connection for hypertension is granted, but a compensable rating cannot be assigned due to pre-existing conditions.,A VA eye examination will be scheduled to determine the current level of severity of the Veteran's left eye pterygium.
The deciding factor: The August 2016 VA examiner concluded that the Veteran’s lumbar spine osteoarthritis was incurred during service based on his STRs and x-ray findings.,The Amputation Rule precludes a compensable rating for the right fourth toe arthroplasty as it does not meet the criteria of amputated toes with metatarsal involvement.,The VA examiner in August 2016 opined that hypertension was less likely caused by service, citing normal blood pressure readings and borderline hypertension at discharge. The Veteran's current symptoms are attributed to post-service factors.,A new VA eye examination will be conducted to assess the severity of the left eye pterygium.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine osteoarthritis, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- November 28, 2018
- Citation
- 18153997
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 18153997.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- 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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