The Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 were denied as there is no evidence of additional disability resulting from VA care, and the Board found that the Veteran was not competent to diagnose himself with an additional disability or determine if any such disability was caused by VA care.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding of additional disability due to VA care, as there were no findings of carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on part of VA. The Veteran's continued complaints and symptoms were not related to the October 2008 surgery.
- Claimed conditions
- left elbow disability, left ulnar nerve disability, nervous disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2015
- Citation
- 1548425
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 1548425.
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: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal for service connection for anxiety, sinusitis, a cervical spine disability, a left elbow disability, and a right hip disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions and potential secondary service connection theories.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of the claimed bilateral finger, wrist, elbow, and shoulder disabilities. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to errors in obtaining medical opinions and addressing all relevant issues, including secondary service connection.
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