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
- Not verified here — check the original 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1520425.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the cause of the Veteran's death to correct duty to assist errors that occurred prior to the August 2023 decision on appeal.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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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