The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is granted based on the PACT Act presumption of herbicide exposure. The claims for chloracne, bilateral hearing loss disability, and disabilities of both shoulders are remanded as new evidence has been received but does not meet the materiality requirement to reopen.
The deciding factor: New evidence related to a current skin disorder other than urticaria (chloracne) was submitted, raising a possibility of establishing its connection to service. Evidence for hearing loss and shoulder disabilities also includes lay testimony suggesting in-service noise exposure as a cause.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, chloracne, bilateral hearing loss disability, disabilities of both shoulders
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 27, 2023
- Citation
- 23053858
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 23053858.
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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