The Board denied service connection for a stroke, difficulty swallowing, vision disability, bilateral foot drop, memory loss, mental confusion, severe headaches, dizziness, slurred speech, and non-toxic thyroid enlargement as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
The deciding factor: The January 2024 VA examiner opined that there was no secondary relationship between the stroke and the service-connected PTSD due to multiple non-service-related comorbidities representing an overwhelming risk for a stroke, including diabetes, tobacco use, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. The remaining disabilities were also denied as they could not be linked to the stroke which is not a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- cerebrovascular accident (stroke), difficulty swallowing, vision disability, bilateral foot drop, memory loss, mental confusion, severe headaches, dizziness, slurred speech, non-toxic thyroid enlargement
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2025
- Citation
- A25085828
Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.