The Board denied the Veteran's attempt to reopen his previously denied claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a back condition due to spinal anesthesia during hernia surgery in August 1977, finding that new and material evidence had not been received.
The deciding factor: The submitted VA treatment records did not relate the Veteran's current back complaints to the alleged injury occurring during hernia surgery in August 1977.
- Claimed conditions
- back condition
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2018
- Citation
- 18144006
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 18144006.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition, finding no evidence of a nexus between the in-service incident and the current disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for back, left wrist, left and right knee, and left and right shoulder conditions due to missing personnel records and an inadequate VA medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a back condition, finding that the evidence does not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's current back disability and his active-duty service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an increased 40 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected back condition from June 19, 2024, and denied service connection for migraine headaches.
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