The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is granted under the PACT Act. The claim for service connection for a heart condition, including non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (claimed as ischemic heart disease), gastric ulcer, peptic ulcer, anemia, calculi of the gall bladder, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower and upper extremities, and PTSD is reopened due to new evidence received since the last final denial in November 2010.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hypertension was granted under the PACT Act as it is presumed associated with herbicide exposure. The reopening of the heart condition claim is based on new evidence that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim, including VA examination reports and lay statements indicating current symptoms related to these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, heart condition (claimed as ischemic heart disease), gastric ulcer, peptic ulcer, anemia, calculi of the gall bladder, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2023
- Citation
- 23001684
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (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 23001684.
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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