The Veteran's hepatitis, atrophy arthritis of the upper and lower extremities, hypertension, lumbar spine disability (arthritis), and bilateral knee disabilities are not service-connected.,There is no current evidence of hepatitis. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of atrophy arthritis of the upper or lower extremities. Hypertension was not present within one year after separation from service. There is no evidence that the lumbar spine disability, bilateral knee disabilities, or any other conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hepatitis does not meet the regulatory requirements for a current disability and there is no medical evidence linking it to service.,There is no current diagnosis of atrophy arthritis of the upper or lower extremities. The VA examiner found that these conditions are less likely than not related to service, attributing them instead to post-service employment as a mail carrier and other non-service-related factors.,Hypertension was first diagnosed more than 20 years after separation from service and there is no evidence of it being present during service. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's current hypertension does not meet the regulatory requirements for a current disability.,The lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities are not related to service, as evidenced by the absence of complaints or treatment in service records and the lack of continuity of symptoms post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatitis, Hypertension, Lumbar spine disability (arthritis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20041074
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 20041074.
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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