The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of Bell's Palsy, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to an in-service incident.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions and the lack of current symptoms supported the denial of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Bell's Palsy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2021
- Citation
- 21061666
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis is granted a rating of 30 percent, the maximum allowed. The claims for increased ratings and service connection for other conditions are denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Bell's Palsy, bilateral hearing loss, contact dermatitis, migraines, and right lower extremity sciatica due to a lack of new and relevant evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for Bell's Palsy and its secondary conditions: loss of smell, nasal drainage, swallowing problems, Parkinson's disease. The claims for orthostatic hypotension and memory loss were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for Bell's Palsy due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not obtaining a VA examination for Scars/Disfigurement.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.