The Veteran's claim for service connection for Lyme disease is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's current Lyme disease had its onset during active service and affirms the original grant of service connection.
The deciding factor: The September 2011 VA examiner opined that the Veteran's initial neurological attack during service was caused by Lyme disease, more likely than not incurred during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Lyme disease, Low back intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), Bell's palsy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 1, 2017
- Citation
- 1736916
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 1736916.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that they are not related to active duty service or any period of ACDUTRA/INACDUTRA service. The appellant's claims are based on secondary service connection due to a non-service-connected condition (Lyme disease), but the evidence does not support this claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for Bell's palsy and remanded the low back, radiculopathy, elbow, knee, and pes planus claims due to incomplete records.
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