← All secondary claims · Ratings by condition
A secondary claim is a condition caused or worsened by one the VA has already service-connected. The causation fight is already half-won — the VA agreed your ptsd came from service; the question is only whether it caused the hypertension. That's a medical question with a recognized answer.
The connection
A sustained stress response keeps the sympathetic nervous system — and blood pressure — elevated, and the research literature on PTSD and hypertension is substantial. For a veteran with service-connected PTSD and a later hypertension diagnosis, secondary service connection is a recognized, regularly granted theory.
How the VA rates hypertension
10% = diastolic predominantly 100+ or systolic predominantly 160+, OR a history of diastolic 100+ that requires continuous medication · 20% = diastolic 110+ or systolic 200+ · 40% = diastolic 120+.
Full criteria and evidence guide: VA rating for high blood pressure.
What the claim needs — the three legs
- The anchor: service connection for the ptsd (see how that condition is rated). Not connected yet? File it first — a secondary claim needs something to attach to.
- A current diagnosis of hypertension — the VA rates diagnosed conditions, not symptoms.
- The medical link. An opinion stating it is "at least as likely as not" that the ptsd caused or aggravated the hypertension. The VA's own C&P examiner supplies this free in most cases; your own doctor can too. A paid independent opinion is the last resort, not the first move.
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