The Board found that the Veteran's ischemic stroke and small bowel obstruction were not caused by his service-connected conditions, but rather by other risk factors such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation.
The deciding factor: The medical literature did not support a connection between cold injury residuals or peripheral neuropathy of the feet to ischemic stroke or small bowel obstruction. The Veteran's non-service connected conditions were deemed more likely contributing causes.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic Stroke, Small Bowel Obstruction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2016
- Citation
- 1603273
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 1603273.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to care for daily personal needs or to protect himself from the hazards and dangers incident to his daily environment without assistance of others, thus SMC based on aid and attendance is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his claims of service connection for headaches, dizziness/vertigo, and hypertension. The Board also denied the Veteran's requests for a higher rating for PTSD and special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance/housebound status.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus as secondary to herbicide-agent exposure. The issues of ischemic stroke, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, and peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities are remanded due to insufficient evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was due to VA negligence in managing his small bowel obstruction, leading to additional disability and death. The Board has granted DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.
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