The Board denied the veteran's claims for benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 and service connection, finding that the amputation and revision were not due to VA treatment with Coumadin or other anticoagulant, but rather due to natural progression of his underlying peripheral vascular disease.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the right leg amputation and stump revision were a necessary consequence of treatment for polycythemia vera and did not result from any VA medical treatment during the relevant period.
- Claimed conditions
- polycythemia vera, right leg amputation and stump revision
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2002
- Citation
- 0206597
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 0206597.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for polycythemia vera, finding a nexus to in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for additional development, including verifying the Veteran's claimed exposure to ionizing radiation and providing a new medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 60 percent evaluation for polycythemia vera, as the Veteran was prescribed molecularly targeted therapy to control red blood cell count.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for polycythemia vera to obtain additional records from the Veteran's community care provider.
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