The Board denied service connection for hypertension, increased ratings for posttraumatic stress disorder and depressive disorder, a compensable rating for residual scars from kidney surgery under DC 7802, but granted a 20 percent rating for the same condition starting February 10, 2023.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's hypertension was related to service or his exposures during service. The severity of his PTSD and depressive disorder symptoms were found to be more closely aligned with a 70 percent rating rather than a higher one. The scars from kidney surgery, while noncompensable under DC 7802, warranted a compensable rating under DC 7804.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, posttraumatic stress disorder with delayed expression to include depressive disorder due to medical conditions, with mixed features (claimed as anxiety and depression, secondary to renal cell carcinoma), residual scars, status post right partial nephrectomy and status post left nephrectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25025510
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,934 · Granted: 41% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25025510.
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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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