The Veteran's stroke residuals were granted service connection as secondary to his hypertension, with an initial rating of 10 percent effective March 2023. However, due to outstanding government debt, the Veteran did not receive any compensation. The appellant is eligible for direct payment of attorney fees from past due benefits awarded.
The deciding factor: The July 2024 rating decision granted service connection for stroke residuals as secondary to hypertension, but no compensation was paid due to an outstanding U.S. government debt. Attorney fees are payable based on the amount of past due benefits awarded regardless of whether the Veteran received payment.
- Claimed conditions
- vascular disease, thrombosis, TIA or cerebral infarction (stroke)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 20, 2026
- Citation
- A26036466
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 A26036466.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
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