The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for stroke and residuals of stroke, as a result of VA medical treatment (specifically, use of the medication Chantix), was denied because there is no evidence that the medication caused his claimed condition.
The deciding factor: The expert opinion concluded that the Veteran's prescription of Chantix did not cause any additional disability, including the Veteran’s self-diagnosed stroke. The examiner noted that the Veteran's claimed stroke condition was actually a TIA and unrelated to the use of Chantix.
- Claimed conditions
- stroke, residuals of stroke
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20067083
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,836 · Granted: 31% (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 20067083.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, COPD, pancreatitis, stroke, and left arm weakness (claimed as secondary to stroke) based on the presumption of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or due to in-service exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's stroke and its residuals are related to his service in Southwest Asia, given the PACT Act provisions.
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