The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension and diabetes mellitus type 2, both claimed as secondary to service-connected sleep apnea, have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection or secondary service connection.,Hypertension was not caused by or worsened in severity by the Veteran's service-connected sleep apnea and did not begin in service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided were inconclusive, with one VA examiner stating that hypertension is more likely due to genetics rather than secondary to sleep apnea. The other private physicians took the opposite view.,There was no evidence of chronic symptoms or a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type 2 in service and it did not begin in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19137014
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19137014.
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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Whole decision: 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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