The appeal of entitlement to service connection for a mental health disorder, claimed as anxiety and depression, is dismissed. The claims for service connection for heart disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation with cardiac pacemaker, testicular hypofunction, and chronic pain syndrome are denied.
The deciding factor: The persuasive evidence of record does not support a finding that the Veteran's claimed conditions had their onset during service or are otherwise related to his service or a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety and depression, heart disease, to include coronary artery disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), bilateral lower extremity (BLE) peripheral neuropathy, chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation with a cardiac pacemaker, testicular hypofunction, chronic pain syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25053469
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
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