The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for a right eyebrow scar and service connection for right status post ocular trauma, trigeminal neuralgia with orbital parasthesia. The Board found that his scars did not meet criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 7800, and concluded that the Veteran's trigeminal neuralgia was not incurred in or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no evidence of an in-service injury resulting in a right eye trauma or nerve damage. The separation examination did not reveal any residual symptoms related to the 1992 injury, and the first documented trigeminal neuralgia symptoms were reported decades after service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Eyebrow Scar, Trigeminal Neuralgia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19116304
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,030 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19116304.
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 Board has granted an initial rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's trigeminal neuralgia and a separate rating of 10 percent for his olfactory neuralgia, both based on their severity.
- Granted
The Veteran's trigeminal neuralgia is rated at a 10 percent disability rating, effective from August 1, 2023.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a compensable disability rating for the service-connected right eyebrow scar prior to the Board's decision.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for trigeminal neuralgia, finding that it did not meet the criteria to establish service connection and was not a MUCMI.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.