The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and an increased rating for urinary incontinence, dysarthria, dysphagia, and chronic constipation as residuals of right pontine stroke.
The deciding factor: The assignment of January 1, 2019, as the effective date was proper according to the regulations governing service connection claims following a stroke.
- Claimed conditions
- Urinary incontinence, Dysarthria, Dysphagia, Chronic constipation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2025
- Citation
- A25046358
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of urinary incontinence to obtain an adequate VA opinion, specifically addressing secondary causation and aggravation by the Veteran's service-connected hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include alcohol use disorder, unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, and PTSD was granted. Other claims for various conditions were denied.
- Partly granted
The appeal was partially granted and dismissed, with service connection for urinary incontinence being granted while other claims were either denied or remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain status post laminectomy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, and a compensable evaluation for urinary incontinence due to missing medical records and an inadequate VA examination.
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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.