The Veteran's claims for service connection of hypercholesterolemia/hyperlipidemia and increased rating for hypothyroidism were denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection may be granted, as high cholesterol is not considered a disability for VA purposes.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hypercholesterolemia/hyperlipidemia was determined to be a laboratory finding and thus not a disability for VA compensation purposes. The Board also found that the Veteran does not have a current disability at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- hypercholesterolemia/hyperlipidemia, hypothyroidism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- June 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19146911
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 service connection for a deviated septum and denied compensable ratings for allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypothyroidism, and hypertension.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism, as it is presumptively linked to herbicide agent exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected hypothyroidism and remanded the claim for service connection for lipomas (claimed as cysts surgery).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism secondary to in-service toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) based on the Veteran's conceded in-service jet fuel fumes exposure.
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