The Veteran's hypertension is granted service connection due to the PACT Act presumption of herbicide agent exposure. The renal cell carcinoma, which is secondary to hypertension, also receives service connection based on the PACT Act and the presumed relationship between hypertension and Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents in Vietnam and his hypertension requires continuous medication for control, meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection under the PACT Act. The renal cell carcinoma is considered secondary to hypertension due to the balance of risk factors being nearly equal between service-connected and nonservice-connected risk factors.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, renal cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2023
- Citation
- 23000634
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (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 23000634.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- 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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