The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic cough, claimed as shortness of breath, is granted. The Board found that the Veteran has a qualifying chronic disability (a MUCMI) and that her symptoms have persisted for at least six months. Service connection is therefore established.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion concluded that the Veteran's chronic cough is a medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness of unknown etiology, which qualifies as a MUCMI under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Allergic Rhinitis, Chronic Cough (claimed as Shortness of Breath), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Hypertension, Left Ear Hearing Loss, Radiculopathy of the Left Upper Extremity, Radiculopathy of the Right Upper Extremity
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2026
- Citation
- A26017393
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 A26017393.
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
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- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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