The Board denied service connection for Bell's palsy as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis and the Veteran does not meet the necessary elements for establishing service connection.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record does not support a finding that the Veteran has had Bell's palsy at any time during or approximate to the pendency of the claim, and the September 2022 VA examiner determined that the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of Bell's palsy.
- Claimed conditions
- Bell's palsy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2025
- Citation
- A25033891
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Bell's palsy, finding no evidence linking the condition to the Veteran's military service or presumed exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for urethritis, left epididymitis, genital warts, Bell's palsy, and noncompensable evaluations for residuals of a fractured 5th digit, left hand, rhinitis, upper respiratory infections, and scar on the right index finger.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the service connection claims for Bell's palsy, organic heart disease, and hypertension due to the Veteran's death during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Bell's palsy, finding it to be related to the Veteran's service-connected painful scar over the left eyebrow.
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