The Veteran's death was caused by complications of acute pneumonia due to or as a consequence of post cerebrovascular accident (CVA) with contributions from HTN and hyperlipidemia. The Board found that the Veteran's HTN, which contributed to his death, is related to his conceded exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The National Academy of Sciences upgraded HTN from 'limited' evidence to 'sufficient' evidence of an association with herbicide exposure, and the Board resolved reasonable doubt in favor of a causal relationship between the Veteran's HTN and his exposure to Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- HTN
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2021
- Citation
- 21012753
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 21012753.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for HTN, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, gout, and right leg disability are all granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for insomnia. Service connections for HTN, OSA, urinary frequency, and left shoulder disability are remanded due to incomplete records.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected hypertension was granted effective October 21, 2022. The Board found that there is no evidence of an increase in severity prior to this date.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection are granted under the PACT Act, with some issues remanded.,Service connection is granted for HTN, DM, and prostate cancer as related to exposure to Agent Orange. Service connection is also granted for ED and urinary disability (urinary frequency) secondary to prostate cancer.
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