The Board granted service connection for hypertension and ED, denied service connection for obesity and bilateral hearing loss, and granted ratings of 20 percent or less for various lower extremity radiculopathies and right hand strains.
The deciding factor: The evidence clearly showed that the Veteran's hypertension first manifested during service and was diagnosed during service. The evidence also showed that the Veteran's ED is at least as likely as not causally related to his service-connected hypertension. Obesity, in and of itself, is not a disability for VA compensation purposes. Bilateral hearing loss was found but the evidence did not support a finding that it began during service or was otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, erectile dysfunction (ED), obesity, bilateral hearing loss, lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, left lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve, right hand thumb strain, right hand little finger strain, right hand ring finger strain
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25031886
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 857 · Granted: 35% (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 A25031886.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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