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Whole decision: Denied

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is denied as the evidence does not support a finding that his current condition began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,The Veteran's claim for an evaluation higher than 10 percent for tinnitus is denied as there is no legal basis for such a benefit and the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent has been assigned.,The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates prior to October 22, 2015, for service connection for left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy are denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions began during service or within one year of service.,The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy are remanded as the most recent examination was in 2015.

The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's hypertension is related to service or an in-service injury, event, or disease.

Claimed conditions
hypertension, tinnitus, left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
December 14, 2018
Citation
18158412

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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18158412.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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