The Board found that VA did not cause additional disability due to carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault during the November 2000 abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery. The Veteran's residual disabilities were determined to be reasonably foreseeable.
The deciding factor: VA medical records showed that the Veteran experienced complications from the surgery but did not find evidence of VA carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault.
- Claimed conditions
- below-the-waist paralysis of the left leg, partial paralysis of the right leg, sensory and motor function deficits consistent with a spinal injury at L1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 28, 2016
- Citation
- 1617081
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 1617081.
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
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to a higher level of special monthly compensation (SMC) for the Veteran, as he was not scheduled for a VA examination and opinion on whether he needs a higher level of care.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to a lack of issuance of a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to deficiencies in a previous VA opinion. The Veteran is seeking service connection for partial paralysis of the right leg and herniated disc disease of the lumbar spine, both claimed as secondary to her service-connected post-degenerative and herniated disc disease at T7-8 with lumbosacral strain.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for partial paralysis of the right leg and herniated disc disease of the lumbar spine, finding that these conditions were not incurred in or aggravated by military service.
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