The Board denied service connection for arthritis due to in-service exposure to Agent Orange, and remanded the issue of hypertension due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran's arthritis is not considered to have been incurred during or within a presumptive period following service, nor does it show continuity of symptomatology. Hypertension was first diagnosed decades after service and well outside any presumed period.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish that the Veteran’s arthritis had its onset in service or within the applicable presumptive period; continuity of symptomatology is also lacking. The Board found no indication that hypertension began during active service, manifested within one year after discharge from service, or was noted during service with continuity of the same symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19103391
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,902 · Granted: 11% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19103391.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
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