The Board granted service connection for hypertension under the PACT Act of 2022, finding it presumed to be related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. Service connection was denied for heart disease, lung disease, liver disease, and kidney disease due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension is presumptively associated with his presumed herbicide exposure in Vietnam under the PACT Act. However, there was no evidence linking heart disease, lung disease, liver disease, and kidney disease to service or herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, heart disease (supraventricular arrhythmia), lung disease (reactive airway disease), liver disease (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD), kidney disease (manifested by kidney cysts and hypercalcemia)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 15, 2023
- Citation
- 23009692
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 23009692.
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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