The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his previously denied service connection claim for hypertension. Service connection is also granted for this condition. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a heart condition, COPD, an enlarged prostate, and hypothyroidism due to presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims are remanded as there is insufficient evidence regarding the nature or etiology of his claimed conditions, particularly given his alleged exposure to herbicides during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Heart condition (enlarged heart valve), COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), Enlarged prostate, Hypothyroidism
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19155044
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 19155044.
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.
- 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 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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