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
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
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