The Veteran's hypertension and hypertensive kidney disease are granted service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents. The Board also grants service connection for vascular insufficiency, AAA, lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral foot ulcers as related to the service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise that the Veteran's hypertension and hypertensive kidney disease are related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Board also finds it likely that these other conditions are related to the service-connected conditions, including hypertension and kidney disease.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, kidney disorder (hypertensive kidney disease with end-stage renal disease), vascular insufficiency, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral foot ulcers
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20034232
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 20034232.
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 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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