The Veteran's hypertension is granted as related to his military service, specifically exposure to herbicides while serving in the inland waterways of Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine upgraded hypertension to a category with sufficient evidence of an association from its previous classification, indicating that there is enough epidemiologic evidence to conclude that there is a positive association between hypertension and exposure to herbicides, including Agent Orange. The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension can be etiologically linked to his presumed exposure to herbicides while serving in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19193712
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 19193712.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
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