The Board denied reopening the claims for hepatitis C, hypertension, and bilateral hallux valgus due to lack of new and material evidence. The Veteran's testimony regarding persistence of high blood pressure after service and prolonged standing in service did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.
The deciding factor: The provided evidence does not establish continuity of hypertension since service or link the foot disability to prolonged standing in service, which were reasons for the previous denials.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatitis C, Hypertension, Bilateral Hallux Valgus
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2022
- Citation
- 22009649
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 22009649.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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- 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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