The veteran suffered dental trauma, specifically the removal of his left central and adjacent incisor during a VA thyroid surgery in March 1961. The Board found that this loss was not due to negligence but rather as an unforeseeable result of attempts at intubation prior to the surgery.
The deciding factor: The veteran's dental trauma resulted from actions taken by VA medical personnel, specifically repeated attempts at intubation during his thyroid surgery in March 1961. The Board found that this loss was not due to negligence and did not fall under any of the exceptions provided for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
- Claimed conditions
- tooth and/or jawbone loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2003
- Citation
- 0311086
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,710 · Granted: 15% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0311086.
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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