The Veteran's claim for hypertension and an acquired psychiatric disorder to include unspecified depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, paranoid schizophrenia and insomnia has been reopened. The right ankle disability claim is being remanded.,Hypertension and the acquired psychiatric disorder claims are both reopened due to new evidence received since their last final denial. However, service connection cannot be established for these conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not found to meet VA criteria for hearing loss disability at any point during service or post-service, and the June 2014 VA examination report was considered more probative than the Veteran’s lay statements regarding his tinnitus onset.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder to include unspecified depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, paranoid schizophrenia and insomnia, Right Ankle Degenerative Joint Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19163863
Veterans Law Judge
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 19163863.
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.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.