The Veteran's xerostomia with difficulty swallowing and difficulty speaking is now rated at 10 percent, effective as of the date of this decision. The claim for a separate rating for dental or oral conditions due to xerostomia was denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Veteran's xerostomia caused intermittent difficulty speaking (hoarseness) and difficulty swallowing without requiring treatment with dilation, stent placement, aspiration, undernutrition, substantial weight loss, or surgical correction. The criteria for a separate rating were not met as her symptoms did not approximate moderate dysphagia.
- Claimed conditions
- Xerostomia (Dry Mouth), Difficulty Swallowing, Hoarseness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 27, 2026
- Citation
- A26028187
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 A26028187.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for difficulty swallowing, stooped posture on the right and left sides, constipation, sexual dysfunction (erectile dysfunction), and loss of use of a creative organ. However, it denied higher ratings for these conditions as well as increased ratings for nerve impairments.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy in both upper and lower extremities as they have been granted by a prior rating decision.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his hoarseness was denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's difficulty swallowing disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating of in excess of 30 percent is not warranted based on the evidence provided.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for GERD was denied. He also had service-connected hoarseness, which was secondary to his GERD.
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