Citation Nr: 22016121
Decision Date: 03/21/22	Archive Date: 03/21/22

DOCKET NO. 16-29 313
DATE: March 21, 2022

REMANDED

Entitlement to service connection for hypertension (HTN) is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND

The Veteran served on active duty from August 1969 to February 1975.

The Veteran also had service with the National Guard, with periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA).  He received the Vietnam Service Medal and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.  

This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a March 2015 rating decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO).

An April 2021 Board decision remanded the matter of service connection for HTN for further development.  

Service connection for HTN is remanded.

The Veteran contends that his HTN is related to fuel oil, demineralized water and or herbicide exposure while in service; alternatively, he reports the disability is due to service-connected disabilities.  See February 2022 Appellate Brief, pgs. 1-2.

The Veteran was afforded a VA Examination in June 2021, and an addendum opinion was obtained in July 2021.  

In providing a negative nexus opinion regarding whether the Veteran's HTN was aggravated by his now service-connected bladder cancer, the examiner provided a one sentence statement that the Veteran's HTN followed a natural progression.  The Board finds the rationale for this finding unclear; further, the examiner did not discuss whether medications or treatment for bladder cancer aggravated the Veteran's HTN.  Prior to appellate adjudication, clarification must be obtained. When VA undertakes to provide a VA examination, it must ensure that the examination is adequate.  Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303, 312 (2007).

The matter is REMANDED for the following action:

Provide the Veteran's electronic claims file to the July 2021 VA hypertension examiner, or if not available, to another appropriately qualified examiner, for an addendum opinion.  Unless determined otherwise by the VA examiner, an actual examination of the Veteran is not required.  

The examiner must address whether it at least as likely as not that the current hypertension has been aggravated (i.e., worsened) by the Veteran's service-connected bladder cancer, to include the medications used to treat the bladder cancer.  Provide a clear rationale to support any findings.

 

 

J. Smith

Acting Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans' Appeals

Attorney for the Board	K. McKenzie, Associate Counsel

The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.