The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have Bell's palsy or mononucleosis, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.
The deciding factor: There is no current evidence of Bell's palsy or mononucleosis in the record, and the Veteran did not provide sufficient medical evidence to establish a current disability.
- Claimed conditions
- HIV, facial acne, Bell's palsy, mononucleosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2009
- Citation
- 0919831
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 0919831.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's right hip pain, muscle spasms, Bell's palsy, trouble breathing, and shaving profile/skin condition are all granted service connection. However, the claims for muscle spasms, Bell's palsy, trouble breathing, and shaving profile/skin condition were denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection of a cervical spine disability, as it is unclear whether his condition is due to his service-connected Bell's palsy and/or right eyelid scar. The VA must obtain an addendum opinion addressing these issues.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for PTSD and sleep apnea have been withdrawn. The appeal concerning service connection for HIV has been remanded due to the need for a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error regarding the Veteran's use of retinoids and statements about facial acne scarring. The matter is being returned to the RO for correction.
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