The Veteran's loss of the left eye was caused by a post-operative infection during VA cataract surgery in August 2010, which was not considered an ordinary risk for such treatment. The Board finds that this additional disability is compensable under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
The deciding factor: The loss of the left eye was a direct result of post-operative complications from VA cataract surgery in August 2010, which was not considered an ordinary risk for such treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- Endophthalmitis, Enucleation of left eye
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 2, 2017
- Citation
- 1749716
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 1749716.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's endophthalmitis and subsequent loss of vision in the right eye are considered a known complication of cataract surgery performed by VA, and thus compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's right eye infection and subsequent enucleation were not caused by VA negligence, but the additional disability was a foreseeable risk of the July 2011 VA surgery.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected enucleation of the left eye did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from cardiovascular disease. The Board concluded there was no causal relationship between the enucleation and the Veteran's cardiovascular problems, which were present prior to his separation from service.
- Denied
The veteran's increased rating claim for enucleation of the left eye was denied, and his special monthly compensation claim was not warranted. The RO found that the evidence did not support a higher rating or special monthly compensation based on the current service-connected condition.
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