The Veteran's claims for hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression and anxiety), cervical spine DDD and IVDS, left ankle OA, and OSA as secondary to cervical spine DDD and IVDS have been granted.,New evidence has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims of service connection for hypertension and an acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence submitted by the Veteran related to his in-service injuries, including a motor vehicle accident and a training exercise, supported the reopening of his claims. The evidence also established a link between these in-service events and his current disabilities.,Dr. G.C.'s opinion provided medical support for the Veteran's assertions regarding the relationship between his service-connected conditions and his new disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression and anxiety), Cervical spine degenerative disc disease (DDD) and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), Left ankle osteoarthritis (OA), Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19132495
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 19132495.
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.
- 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 granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), finding that both conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lower back condition and sinusitis, respectively.
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