The Board has determined that the Veteran's April 1997 surgery did not include removal of both ovaries, and thus she is not entitled to a higher disability rating under DC 7617. The claim for a higher rating is denied.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support the Veteran's contention that her right ovary was removed during the April 1997 surgery, as the operation report clearly limited the scope of the surgery to an abdominal hysterectomy with removal of the left ovary. The absence of any contemporaneous diagnostic testing and the specific evidence from the time and thereafter that the right ovary had not been removed further supports this conclusion.
- Claimed conditions
- fibroid uterus, pelvic pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2017
- Citation
- 1758021
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 1758021.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's hysterectomy, which was performed to manage her symptoms of heavy menstrual cycles, clotting, and cramping/pelvic pain, is related to an in-service event. The decision grants service connection for this condition.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew all appeals related to service connection for urinary pain, ejaculation pain, groin pain, pelvic pain, and sleep disturbance.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and remanded several issues for further development, while dismissing or denying service connection for various conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for depression, pelvic pain, uterine fibroids, and Tietze syndrome. The initial compensable rating claims for iron deficiency anemia and thyroid enlargement were also denied.
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