The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for the appellant's injuries sustained during a VA hospitalization in 1978, finding that they were not attributable to circumstances of hospitalization and concluding that the appellant's own conduct was responsible.
The deciding factor: The appellant committed suicide by jumping from a balcony while under VA care, which resulted in permanent disabilities. The Board found these injuries were not caused by the VA's treatment or conditions of hospitalization but due to the appellant's own actions.
- Claimed conditions
- Incomplete paraplegia, Compression fracture of T3 and T4 vertebrae
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 28, 2000
- Citation
- 0019907
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 0019907.
What this means for you
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- Granted
The veteran's incomplete paraplegia with bowel and bladder incontinence is determined to be due to surgery for spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) at a VA facility, which aggravated his pre-existing condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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