The Board finds that the Veteran's stroke residuals did not begin during his military service, were not caused by his service, and are not aggravated by a service-connected disability. The medical evidence does not support any connection between the Veteran's stroke and either his military service or his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The May 2016 VA examiner found no credible evidence linking the Veteran's stroke to his in-service exposure to cold weather, nor did he find a plausible biological mechanism by which remote cold exposure could cause a stroke decades later. The examiner also noted that there is no medical literature supporting such a connection.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a stroke
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 28, 2016
- Citation
- 1638224
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1638224.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a left hip disability and residuals of a stroke, both secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and right hip disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's residuals of a stroke as secondary to his heart condition, finding that there was no established service connection for the heart condition and noting insufficient evidence to link the stroke directly to military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted secondary service connection for the Veteran's residuals of a stroke, finding that it is related to his service-connected hypertension.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal regarding the issue of service connection for residuals of a stroke as secondary to hypertension.
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