The Board found that the Veteran's pre-existing speech disorder did not undergo a permanent worsening during service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's speech disorder was not aggravated by service, as there is no clear indication of a progressing or increasing problem in service records.
- Claimed conditions
- speech disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2016
- Citation
- 1646656
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 1646656.
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.
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- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for stroke disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder, and speech disorder due to insufficient evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
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