The Veteran's appeal of service connection for hypertension, GERD, and left ear hearing loss has been dismissed. The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for major depression is denied. An effective date of August 24, 2018, for the award of a 70 percent rating for major depression is granted.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal of service connection for hypertension, GERD, and left ear hearing loss prior to the promulgation of a decision. The evidence showed that the Veteran’s major depression warranted a 70 percent rating as of August 24, 2018.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Left ear hearing loss, Major depression
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- October 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20068782
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (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 20068782.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Dupuytren's contracture of the left hand, right hand, and GERD is remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and failure to consider toxic exposure risk activities during service.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
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