The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a below-knee amputation of the right leg due to VA treatment directing the cessation of Plavix was denied as there is no evidence that discontinuance of Plavix caused the amputation.
The deciding factor: The March 2018 expert medical opinion concluded it is very unlikely that discontinuance of Plavix therapy caused the Veteran's amputation below the right knee, and further inquiry into proximate causation was not required as the most probative evidence did not show that the use of Plavix actually caused the amputation.
- Claimed conditions
- below-knee amputation of the right leg, back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 26, 2018
- Citation
- 18138637
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 18138637.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete service treatment records and a need for additional VA examination. The Veteran's back disability is being reviewed again with new evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for back, hip, and lower extremity disabilities due to a lack of VA examination and outstanding treatment records. The Veteran's current diagnoses and lay statements will be considered in determining if his conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's adenocarcinoma of the colon is granted as secondary to his service-connected other specified trauma and stressor related disorder to include alcohol use disorder. The back disability claim is remanded for further development.
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