The Board denied service connection for hypertension, DDD of the lumbosacral spine, and right leg arthritis as there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.,There is no medical evidence linking any of these conditions to the Veteran's active duty period from June 1973 to July 1975.
The deciding factor: The STRs do not show any complaints, treatment, or diagnosis related to hypertension, DDD of the lumbosacral spine, or right leg arthritis during service. The Veteran's blood pressure readings were within normal limits and there is no indication that these conditions began in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the lumbosacral spine, Right leg arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2018
- Citation
- 18159038
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 18159038.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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