The Veteran's hypertension is denied as there is no evidence of its onset during service or within one year post-service, and the medical opinion found it unrelated to military service.,A non-compensable evaluation for the left 3rd finger scar from ganglion cyst excision was granted effective December 8, 2009. The Veteran's current evaluation is 10 percent after this date.,The Veteran's request for a higher evaluation for his left 3rd finger scar from ganglion cyst excision has been denied as the medical opinion found it unrelated to service and not more than 10 percent disabling overall.,A compensable evaluation (at least 20 percent) for the Veteran's left eye pterygium was denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that hypertension is related to military service, as it developed many years after service and there are no medical opinions linking it to service.,The VA examiner found the scar to be stable and painless, thus warranting a non-compensable evaluation prior to December 7, 2011. The Veteran's current evaluation of 10 percent is based on his scars being painful or unstable.,The VA examiner found no evidence that the Veteran’s left 3rd finger scar from ganglion cyst excision was more than 10 percent disabling overall and thus denied a higher rating.,The medical opinion found no evidence to support a compensable evaluation for the Veteran's left eye pterygium, as it did not cause any visual acuity defect or other significant impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Left 3rd Finger Scar from Ganglion Cyst Excision, Left Eye Pterygium
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19191372
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 19191372.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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.