The Veteran's stroke, s/p cerebrovascular accident is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's degenerative arthritis in left foot and lower back disability are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the left knee and right knee are denied as not being service-connected.,The Veteran's degenerative arthritis in left hip is denied as not being service-connected.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence was in relative equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's current disability (stroke) is related to his exposure to AFFF during military service, and granted service connection.,Dr. S.C.'s opinions supported by the September 2025 VA medical opinion were considered sufficient to establish a link between the Veteran's lower back disability and left foot disability with his active duty service.,The absence of complaints or treatment for the bilateral knees and left hip disabilities for an extended period after service was noted, leading to a denial of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- stroke, degenerative arthritis in left foot, lower back disability, degenerative arthritis of the left knee, degenerative arthritis of the right knee, degenerative arthritis in left hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2026
- Citation
- A26009196
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 A26009196.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, COPD, pancreatitis, stroke, and left arm weakness (claimed as secondary to stroke) based on the presumption of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or due to in-service exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's stroke and its residuals are related to his service in Southwest Asia, given the PACT Act provisions.
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