The Veteran's appeal for Bell's Palsy was dismissed as his Notice of Disagreement was filed on the wrong form, making it untimely.,The Board has remanded the claims for cervical spine condition and optical difficulties due to a lack of VA examination and medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's appeal for Bell's Palsy was dismissed because his Notice of Disagreement was filed on an incorrect form, making it untimely.,VA examinations and medical opinions are needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine condition and optical difficulties.
- Claimed conditions
- Bell's Palsy, Cervical Skeletor Stiffness (including cervicalgia and burning nerve pain), Optical Difficulties
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2026
- Citation
- A26004422
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 A26004422.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims seeking service connection for fatty liver, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, Bell's Palsy, GERD, neurobehavioral issues, and throat/esophageal cancer have been dismissed due to procedural errors in filing a concurrent election of review options.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for SMC-AA/HB and service connection for urinary frequency secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral strain with spinal stenosis is being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, which is the maximum rating available. The Board granted a 100 percent rating for CAD from October 21, 2013 to July 26, 2016. TDIU was granted effective August 31, 2011 and SMC at housebound rate was granted effective October 21, 2013.
- Denied
The Veteran's Bell's Palsy, Diabetes Mellitus Type II, Hypertension, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Glaucoma, and Low Back Arthritis were denied as they did not manifest in service or for many years thereafter, and the evidence does not show that his disabilities are related to or may be associated with service.,The Veteran's low back arthritis was denied as there is no indication of an association between the disability claimed by the veteran and his active duty service.
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