The Veteran's hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis (claimed as rheumatism), and arthritis were denied service connection due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,There is no indication that the Veteran had any of these conditions during or immediately after service.
The deciding factor: The medical records do not show a diagnosis of hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis (claimed as rheumatism), or arthritis until several decades after service discharge. The VA and private physicians have not provided opinions linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.,There is no evidence that the Veteran had any joint symptoms prior to 1972, which is when Dr. DeGuzman first reported joint issues. There are no records of arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis diagnoses within one year after service discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Rheumatoid arthritis (claimed as rheumatism), Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21026415
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 21026415.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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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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