The Veteran's Bell's palsy has been rated at 10 percent since May 21, 2009. The Board denied an increased rating as the disability is currently manifested by no worse than moderate, incomplete paralysis of cranial nerve VII.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations consistently found that the Veteran had incomplete, moderate paralysis of cranial nerve VII due to Bell's palsy without additional impairment affecting vision or speech.
- Claimed conditions
- Bell's palsy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19189642
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 19189642.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Bell's palsy, finding no evidence linking the condition to the Veteran's military service or presumed exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for urethritis, left epididymitis, genital warts, Bell's palsy, and noncompensable evaluations for residuals of a fractured 5th digit, left hand, rhinitis, upper respiratory infections, and scar on the right index finger.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the service connection claims for Bell's palsy, organic heart disease, and hypertension due to the Veteran's death during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Bell's palsy, finding it to be related to the Veteran's service-connected painful scar over the left eyebrow.
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