The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, fibromyalgia, and other joint disorders, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active duty service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that it is less likely than not that the Veteran's hypertension is related to an exposure event in Southwest Asia. The diagnosis of hypertension is more likely a result of genetics/age/obesity and not a result of an exposure event in Southwest Asia.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, fibromyalgia, generalized joint disorder (bilateral wrist pain and/or carpal tunnel syndrome and/or systemic degenerative arthritis of multiple joints including hands, elbows, and shoulders), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), obstructive sleep apnea, ring finger disability, left hand, foot disorders, right and left foot, traumatic brain injury (TBI) residuals (memory loss, vertigo, frequent migraine headaches), heat exposure residuals
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2022
- Citation
- 22001440
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,963 · Granted: 32% (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 22001440.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
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