The Veteran's MRSA infection is not service-connected as it did not result from carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of VA.,There is no evidence linking the Veteran's heart disorder to his military service. The condition was first noted after he left active duty and is more likely related to alcohol use.,The Veteran does not have a compensable level of hypertension within one year of separation from service, nor is there any evidence that it is linked to service or exposure to toxins/chemicals/asbestos.,High cholesterol is not considered a disability for VA compensation purposes.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing MRSA infection was caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of VA during the Veteran's right eye surgery.,The heart disorder is not service-connected as there is no evidence linking it to service. The condition first appeared after separation from active duty and is more likely related to alcohol use.,There is insufficient evidence showing hypertension was caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of VA during service.,High cholesterol is not considered a disability for VA compensation purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- MRSA infection, Heart disorder, Hypertension, High cholesterol
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19147541
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (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 19147541.
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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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