The Board has denied service connection for a low back disorder due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service or any service-connected disability. The case is remanded for further development regarding hypertension and leg disorders.,Service connection for hypertension cannot be established as there is no medical opinion linking it to herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's low back disorder is related to service or any service-connected disability. The VA examiner found that the current degenerative disc disease is more likely due to natural aging and obesity, rather than service.,There is no medical opinion linking the Veteran's hypertension to herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Low Back Disorder, Hypertension, Right Leg Disorder (Peripheral Neuropathy), Left Leg Disorder (Peripheral Neuropathy)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2021
- Citation
- 21075024
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 21075024.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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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