The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his service-connected psychiatric disorder and GERD, as well as the reopening of his claims for high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus have been remanded. The TDIU claim has also been added to the appeal.
The deciding factor: The evidence received since the final March 2014 rating decision is new and material, raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- High blood pressure, Diabetes mellitus, Psychiatric disorder (previously posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression), Gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2018
- Citation
- 18154863
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 18154863.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for high blood pressure and a low back disability, finding that the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and active military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Granted
The Veteran's GERD is rated at 10 percent since May 2023. The Board has granted an initial rating of 60 percent for the condition, effective from May 19, 2024.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for high blood pressure, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), aortic valve regurgitation, and hypothyroidism as the evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection due to lack of in-service diagnosis or chronic symptoms.
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