The Veteran's hypertension was not shown to be related to service, and thus service connection is denied.,Her chronic bronchitis has been asymptomatic throughout the appeal period, preventing a compensable rating under VA criteria.,Prior to November 18, 2020, her sinusitis did not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating due to its asymptomatic nature.,The Veteran's herpes did not affect more than 20% of her entire body or exposed areas and did not require corticosteroid or other immunosuppressant drugs for at least 6 weeks, preventing an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent.,Her left ankle disability did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent due to marked limitation of motion.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that hypertension was not related to service and provided a reasoned explanation based on medical literature and the Veteran's history.,PFT testing results were normal, preventing a compensable rating for chronic bronchitis.,Sinusitis did not meet criteria for an incapacitating episode or non-incapacitating episodes sufficient to warrant a compensable rating prior to November 18, 2020.,Herpes did not affect more than 20% of her body and did not require corticosteroid drugs for at least 6 weeks.,The Veteran's left ankle disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to marked limitation of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Bronchitis, Sinusitis, Herpes, Left Ankle Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2022
- Citation
- 22063704
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 22063704.
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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