The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The initial rating for DJD, DDD, and mild scoliosis of the thoracic and lumbar spine was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were also denied. Service connection for a cervical spine disorder, cardiovascular disorder (specifically congenital bicuspid aortic valve with insufficiency heart murmur), hypertension, IBS, umbilical hernia, and prostatitis was granted.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support the Veteran's claims of increased disability or service connection for his conditions. The rating criteria were applied to the Veteran’s hearing loss, back disability, and tinnitus, which resulted in non-compensable ratings. For TBI, the examiner found no deficits that would warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), Mild Scoliosis of the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine, Cervical Spine Disorder, Cardiovascular Disorder, Hypertension, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Umbilical Hernia, Prostatitis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161309
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,162 · Granted: 21% (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 19161309.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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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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