The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a neurological disability manifested by numbness of the face, finding that it is not secondary to his service-connected neck disability or hypertension and did not begin in service. The Board also found no evidence linking the numbness of the face to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided thorough explanations stating that cervical DDD does not cause facial numbness and there was no evidence of worsening, while the Veteran's hypertension is not associated with his symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- numbness of the face
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 25, 2026
- Citation
- 26002667
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 26002667.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appealed issues before VA.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and an inadequate addendum opinion. The Veteran's facial numbness is being evaluated for possible service connection as secondary to his cervical spine disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for numbness of the face, left hand, right foot, and left foot as there is no current diagnosis or functional impairment.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine condition, thoracolumbar spine condition, numbness of the face, numbness of the arms and hands, and numbness of the right leg (meralgia paraesthetica) as there is no evidence showing these conditions had their onset during or are related to active service.
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