The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, as it is related to his service-connected major depressive disorder. The VA examiner's opinion was inadequate and less probative due to its failure to provide a direct service connection opinion or an aggravation opinion regarding the Veteran's hypertension.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examiner's opinion was insufficient because it did not provide a definitive etiology for the Veteran's hypertension, nor did it address whether his hypertension is aggravated by his service-connected mental health disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension (HTN)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2026
- Citation
- A26034787
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 A26034787.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected hypertension and somatic symptom disorder are denied. The Board has remanded the claims for cardiovascular, peripheral artery disease, and lung cancer with emphysema.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several claims, including service connection for various conditions and an increased rating for right shoulder disability. The Veteran's appeal is currently under review.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for hypertension (HTN) and has remanded the issues of service connection for cardiomegaly and hypertensive heart disease.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension as secondary to his service-connected psychiatric disability, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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