The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found that Gilbert's syndrome, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, gout of the bilateral ankles, feet, and toes, arthritis of the lumbar spine with strain, plantar fasciitis with mild degenerative joint disease (left foot), plantar fasciitis with mild degenerative joint disease (right foot), allergic rhinitis, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease with diverticulitis, and sebaceous cyst were not service connected or warranted increased ratings.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's conditions are either congenital defects without evidence of superimposed injury during service, or do not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of a showing of chronicity in service or continuity of symptoms after service. The Board also found that there was no aggravation of any pre-existing condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Allergic Rhinitis, Arthritis of the lumbar spine with strain, Degenerative Joint Disease (right knee), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease with Diverticulitis, Gilbert's syndrome, Gout of the bilateral ankles, feet, and toes, Hypertension, Patellofemoral Syndrome (left knee), Plantar fasciitis with mild degenerative joint disease (left foot), Plantar fasciitis with mild degenerative joint disease (right foot), Sebaceous Cyst (back)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19195809
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,762 · Granted: 24% (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 19195809.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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- 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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