The claim of service connection for high blood pressure has been reopened and granted. The claims for bilateral foot disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, bilateral shoulder disability, bilateral elbow disability, obstructive sleep apnea, left varicocele (claimed as testicle growth), and prostate disability have all been remanded due to insufficient evidence.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current diagnoses do not establish a nexus between his claimed disabilities and service or any presumptive exposure basis.
- Claimed conditions
- High blood pressure, Bilateral foot disability, Right knee disability, Left knee disability, Bilateral shoulder disability, Bilateral elbow disability, Obstructive sleep apnea, Left varicocele (claimed as testicle growth), Prostate disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2018
- Citation
- 18158244
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 18158244.
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 due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding whether the Veteran's current conditions are aggravated by his service-connected DDD of the lumbosacral spine. The AOJ is required to obtain new medical opinions addressing this issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for obstructive sleep apnea and headaches, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of persistent daytime hypersomnolence or other manifestations consistent with a compensable disability rating under the criteria established by Diagnostic Codes. The matter is remanded to obtain additional information from the Veteran regarding his headaches and their impact on his daily life.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected residuals of left foot 5th metatarsal fracture.
- 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.
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