The Board granted service connection for Lyme disease based on the evidence showing the Veteran was repeatedly bitten by ticks during service and the current diagnosis of Lyme disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions, along with lay evidence regarding repeated tick bites, established a nexus between the in-service insect bites and the current diagnosis of Lyme disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Lyme disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2024
- Citation
- A24068189
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 60 percent rating for coronary artery disease (CAD), status post myocardial infarction, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective May 27, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a compensable rating for service-connected Lyme disease, TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status due to errors in the previous decision.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and special monthly compensation, as well as DEA benefits, due to no evidence of a claim being filed within one year of separation from service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, obesity, and multiple nerve and skin disorders, as well as denied initial compensable ratings for several disabilities.
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