The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability did not cause or contribute substantially to his death due to pulmonary embolisms. The private medical facility was held responsible for failing to administer anticoagulation, which led to the Veteran's death. As a result, the claim for service connection for the cause of death and nonservice-connected death pension benefits were denied.
The deciding factor: The Board concluded that the Veteran's fatal condition (pulmonary embolisms) was not caused by his service-connected left knee disability but rather due to the private medical facility's failure to administer anticoagulation, which broke the causal connection between the surgery and death.
- Claimed conditions
- Left knee sprain, Left varicocele and epididymitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2016
- Citation
- 1602502
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 1602502.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's left shoulder disability and remanded claims for increased ratings for his left knee sprain and service connection for a left ankle disability.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted a disability rating of 100 percent, while other claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for hepatitis C and left knee sprain due to insufficient medical opinions. The cause of death claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the service connection claims.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the need for regular aid and attendance due to his ability to manage personal hygiene, financial affairs, and daily activities.
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