The Veteran's hypertension is being remanded for a new VA medical opinion to address whether it is related to his service-connected PTSD with MDD and sleep disturbances, as well as if it was caused by or aggravated by his PTSD.
The deciding factor: The previous VA medical opinion did not adequately address the relationship between the Veteran's PTSD and hypertension, nor did it provide sufficient detail for the Board to evaluate whether the temporary spikes in blood pressure due to PTSD were significant enough to cause chronic hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension (HTN), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Sleep Disturbances
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2023
- Citation
- A23034350
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 A23034350.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, as it is related to his service-connected major depressive disorder. The VA examiner's opinion was inadequate and less probative due to its failure to provide a direct service connection opinion or an aggravation opinion regarding the Veteran's hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected hypertension and somatic symptom disorder are denied. The Board has remanded the claims for cardiovascular, peripheral artery disease, and lung cancer with emphysema.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several claims, including service connection for various conditions and an increased rating for right shoulder disability. The Veteran's appeal is currently under review.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for hypertension (HTN) and has remanded the issues of service connection for cardiomegaly and hypertensive heart disease.
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