The Veteran has a misaligned sternum as an additional disability due to VA surgery performed in May 2000, but it was not proximately caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault on the part of VA.
The deciding factor: VA treatment records document that the Veteran had pain and restricted movement after his May 2000 surgery, which he attributes to a misaligned sternum. The March 2013 private X-rays show sternal wire sutures that appeared to be in place but split, supporting the Veteran's claim of an additional disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Misaligned sternum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 15, 2016
- Citation
- 1647039
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 1647039.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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