The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, right elbow epicondylitis (tennis elbow), and arthritis of the hands. The decision found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to military service.,Specifically, the Board determined that hypertension is not secondary to the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability due to lack of evidence showing it was caused or aggravated by Celebrex use for his back condition. Right elbow epicondylitis and arthritis of the hands were also denied as there was no service connection found.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that the Veteran's conditions, including hypertension, right elbow epicondylitis, and arthritis of the hands, did not have a direct link to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Right Elbow Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow), Arthritis of the Hands
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20080552
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 20080552.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- 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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