The Veteran's laryngeal disability is not service-connected and the Board finds that it did not result from VA care. The Veteran experienced vocal cord paralysis as a direct consequence of his carotid artery surgery, which was foreseen by the medical team.
The deciding factor: The post-surgical complications were a foreseeable risk associated with the carotid endarterectomy procedure, and any current laryngeal disability is not due to VA negligence or carelessness.
- Claimed conditions
- larynx
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 2, 2016
- Citation
- 1630612
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 1630612.
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 has determined that additional development is needed to determine the Veteran's exposure to herbicides and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, as well as to obtain outstanding medical records. The claims for service connection are remanded in light of this determination.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's respiratory cancer, specifically larynx, is granted service connection due to exposure to herbicides, including Agent Orange, during his active duty in Thailand.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between his current diagnoses and his military service, including presumed exposure to herbicides.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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