The veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for Bell's palsy was remanded to the RO for additional development, including a VA examination and obtaining any relevant medical records.
The deciding factor: The appeal was remanded due to the need for a formal VA examination and obtaining updated treatment records from the veteran's VA Medical Center in Washington, DC.
- Claimed conditions
- Bell's palsy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2009
- Citation
- 0901713
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Bell's palsy, finding no evidence linking the condition to the Veteran's military service or presumed exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for urethritis, left epididymitis, genital warts, Bell's palsy, and noncompensable evaluations for residuals of a fractured 5th digit, left hand, rhinitis, upper respiratory infections, and scar on the right index finger.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the service connection claims for Bell's palsy, organic heart disease, and hypertension due to the Veteran's death during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Bell's palsy, finding it to be related to the Veteran's service-connected painful scar over the left eyebrow.
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