The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is remanded. The claim for hypertension (HTN) is granted. The claims of service connection for hiatal hernia (HH) repair and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with fundoplication surgery are also remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran’s currently diagnosed HTN is related to his conceded exposure to herbicide agents during service, warranting a grant of service connection for HTN. The claims for PTSD and gastrointestinal disorders remain pending due to insufficient evidence or need for additional development.
- Claimed conditions
- acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19190936
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,549 · Granted: 29% (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 19190936.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
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