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.
The deciding factor: Remand is warranted due to a failure to obtain a VA examination for Scars/Disfigurement following the Higher Level Review in March 2022, which was a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- Bell's Palsy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2024
- Citation
- A24068653
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 20 percent rating for Bell's Palsy for the entire period on appeal prior to July 23, 2021.
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