The Board has denied reopening the claim for hypertension and found that there is no new and material evidence to support it. The Veteran's high cholesterol was also not service-connected as a laboratory finding does not qualify for VA compensation.,Claims for earlier effective dates have been denied due to lack of proof of an increase in disability occurring within one year prior to the date of claim.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no new and material evidence presented to reopen the claim for hypertension, as the Veteran's current medical records do not show a relationship between his hypertension and service or any service-connected condition.,High cholesterol was determined to be a laboratory finding rather than a recognized disability for VA compensation purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity, erectile dysfunction, peripheral vascular disease, right leg, peripheral vascular disease, left leg, coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20000531
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 32% (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 20000531.
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 Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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.
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