The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected left trigeminal neuropathy and denied his claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The evidence showed that the Veteran had mild to moderate incomplete paralysis of the fifth cranial nerve, but did not meet the criteria for higher ratings.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms were generally consistent with a diagnosis of left trigeminal neuropathy and did not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent. The evidence also showed that his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- left trigeminal neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- August 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20054958
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 20054958.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's left trigeminal neuropathy is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted due to incomplete paralysis of the nerve.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination addressing the Veteran's symptoms of pain radiating to her ear and neck.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for earlier effective date, higher initial ratings for trigeminal neuralgia, and increased ratings for fibromyalgia/myofascial pain syndrome, postoperative residuals, hypermotility of bilateral temporal mandibular joints, and bilateral hearing loss with vertigo.
- Granted
The Board found that the manifestations of the veteran's left trigeminal neuropathy more nearly approximated moderate incomplete paralysis, warranting a 10% disability rating.
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