The Veteran's hypertensive vascular disease has been rated at 10 percent since December 7, 1996. The Board found that the Veteran's systolic and diastolic blood pressures have not consistently met the criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's blood pressure readings did not consistently meet the criteria for a higher rating (systolic or diastolic pressure predominantly above 200 mm/Hg or 110 mm/Hg, respectively).
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertensive Vascular Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20081590
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (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 20081590.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and hypertensive vascular disease, as well as increased ratings for diabetic peripheral neuropathy in both upper and lower extremities due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Denied
The Veteran's hypertensive vascular disease was rated at 20 percent, and the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on diastolic pressure being predominantly 120 or more.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his service-connected hypertensive vascular disease was denied as the evidence did not show that his systolic or diastolic pressure predominantly met the criteria for a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence, including private treatment records from Dr. M, and a VA examination considering Gulf War exposure.
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