The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension was denied in December 2011. The Veteran and his attorney filed a supplemental claim seeking this benefit, which resulted in its grant in May 2024. As the appeal is based on past-due benefits awarded in the May 2024 rating decision, the Veteran's eligibility to attorney fees was granted.
The deciding factor: The May 2024 rating decision granted service connection for hypertension and assigned a 20% disability rating effective October 24, 2023. The supplemental claim was filed after the initial denial in December 2011 but before the enactment of the Military-Veterans Advocacy v. Sec'y of Veterans Affairs case, which invalidated the regulatory provision for fees based on claims filed within one year of a decision.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- February 3, 2026
- Citation
- A26010016
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 A26010016.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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