The Veteran's hypertension is denied as not related to service.,His multiple scars of the forehead with slight disfigurement are rated at 10% and no higher rating is granted.,Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of spinal fusion is remanded.,The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70%, but a higher rating is not granted.,An effective date earlier than October 13, 1970 for the award of service connection for multiple scars of the forehead with slight disfigurement and an effective date earlier than December 5, 2013 for tinnitus are denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hypertension was not shown during service or within one year post-service, nor is there evidence to support a finding that it is related to service.,The Veteran does not have visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of one feature or paired set of features, or; two or three characteristics of disfigurement. Therefore, the 10% rating for multiple scars of the forehead with slight disfigurement is appropriate.,Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of spinal fusion requires further review and evidence to determine if it qualifies.,The Veteran's PTSD meets the criteria for a 70% disability rating, but no higher as there are no additional symptoms or disabilities that would warrant such a rating.,There is no legal basis for an earlier effective date for service connection of multiple scars of the forehead with slight disfigurement and tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Multiple scars of the forehead with slight disfigurement, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- July 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19155632
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 19155632.
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 service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- 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 denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
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