The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee infection following total knee replacement was not caused by VA carelessness, negligence, or error in judgment. The event was not reasonably foreseeable and additional disability arose from an unforeseen condition.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of fault on the part of VA for causing additional disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Infection
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2019
- Citation
- A19001779
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.
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The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to ischemic heart disease due to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The condition was deemed a contributory cause of death.
- Denied
The VA denied the veteran's claim for disability compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to lack of proximate cause and failure to obtain informed consent, as the Board found that the additional disabilities were not caused by VA carelessness or negligence.
- Denied
The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death, sepsis leading to liver failure and multiple organ failure, was not caused or contributed to by any service-connected disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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