The Veteran's post-surgery sensory and motor function deficits are not considered to be due to VA carelessness, negligence, or similar instance of fault. The resulting deficits were reasonably foreseeable.
The deciding factor: VA medical records indicate that the Veteran experienced neurological deficits consistent with a spinal cord injury at L1 following abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery in November 2000. These deficits are attributed to ischemia and muscle fiber damage, rather than VA carelessness or negligence.
- Claimed conditions
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm, Spinal cord injury at L1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 12, 2015
- Citation
- 1520425
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 1520425.
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
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- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for abdominal aortic aneurysm was denied, and his appeal for service connection for deformity of the penis due to circumcision was dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for an adequate medical opinion regarding whether VA treatment was feasibly available at the time of the private treatment on May 19, 2010.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of recent VA examination and missing treatment records. The Veteran's thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms need to be reassessed.
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