The Board found that the Veteran's right below the knee amputation was not attributable to VA's failure to diagnose and/or treat peripheral vascular disease (PVD) or Buerger's disease at an earlier date, and was a reasonably foreseeable event.
The deciding factor: The VHA opinion concluded that the diagnosis of PVD should have been made prior to May 2001 but that the consequences for the Veteran would not have been less severe if amputation had occurred earlier due to the nature of his condition and the lack of effective treatment options at the time.
- Claimed conditions
- Right below the knee amputation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 16, 2009
- Citation
- 0909608
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
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