The petition to reopen service connection for a left ankle condition is denied.,Service connection for a heart condition, bilateral hearing loss, and hypertension are all denied. The Veteran's claim for erectile dysfunction (claimed as secondary to hypertension) and headaches are remanded.
The deciding factor: No new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the left ankle condition claim.,The evidence does not establish a current disability of a heart condition, despite service records indicating an innocent heart murmur. The Veteran's hearing loss is below the threshold for VA purposes.,Service connection cannot be established as there is no direct evidence linking hypertension to service or toxic exposure in support of the Persian Gulf War.,The claim for erectile dysfunction (claimed as secondary to hypertension) and headaches are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ankle Condition, Heart Condition, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Hypertension, Erectile Dysfunction (claimed as secondary to hypertension), Headaches, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23039909
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 23039909.
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 service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
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