The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for hypertension and denied a prior effective date for service connection of hypertension. The appellant's hypertension was granted secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability, but the criteria for a higher rating were not met.
The deciding factor: The appellant's blood pressure readings did not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating under DC 7101 as they did not reflect diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more or systolic pressure predominantly 160 or more. The effective date was fixed at April 19, 2022, which is the earliest possible date given his Intent to File for compensation and pension benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2026
- Citation
- A26009729
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 A26009729.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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