The Board denied service connection for malignant melanoma, bilateral hearing loss, and urinary tract condition. It granted an initial 10 percent evaluation for hypertension associated with herbicide exposure.

The deciding factor: The evidence is evenly balanced as to whether historical blood pressure readings show the Veteran's systolic pressure predominantly measures 160 or more, leading to a grant of service connection for hypertension at 10 percent. Other claims were denied due to insufficient evidence linking them to service or herbicide exposure.

Claimed conditions

malignant melanoma (to include basal cell and basosquamous cell carcinomas), bilateral hearing loss, hypertension associated with herbicide exposure, urinary tract condition, to include urinary tract infection and benign prostatic hyperplasia, heart condition, to include hypertensive heart disease (as secondary to hypertension) and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, cerebrovascular accident (stroke), severe osteoarthritis status post left knee replacement, severe osteoarthritis status post right knee replacement

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

10%

Decision date

March 7, 2025

Citation

A25021151

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine