The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service.,Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine is denied because there is no in-service injury or disease and no evidence of continuity of symptomatology after separation from service.,Service connection for bilateral tinea pedis is granted as the Veteran's current condition can be linked to his active-duty service.
The deciding factor: The March 2021 VA examiner provided an opinion that hypertension was more likely related to the Veteran's kidney transplant, rather than herbicide exposure during service.,The August 2018 VA examiner concluded that tinea pedis is less likely than not incurred in service due to lack of evidence of symptoms or treatment in service and no continuity of symptomatology after separation from service.,The March 2021 VA examiner provided an addendum opinion, clarifying the diagnosis and acknowledging ongoing complaints of back pain since service. The examiner concluded that degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine is less likely than not caused by a strain injury in service.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, bilateral tinea pedis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2022
- Citation
- 22014545
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 22014545.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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