The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for hypertensive heart disease and hypertensive vascular disease, as the evidence did not support a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Veteran's workload was between 3-5 METs resulting in breathlessness and fatigue, which does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 60 percent. For the hypertension, there were no symptoms predominantly meeting the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive heart disease, hypertensive vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25030428
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including a bilateral eye disability and cardiovascular conditions, based on the Veteran's in-service occupational exposures.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and accrued benefits due to pending asbestos exposure development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial evaluation of 30 percent for the period from September 20, 2022 to June 13, 2023 and a 60 percent evaluation from October 1, 2023, but denied an earlier effective date prior to September 20, 2022.
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