The Veteran's vocal cord damage resulting from a September 2010 VA coronary bypass surgery is denied as not meeting the criteria for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to lack of fault on the part of VA.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions found no evidence of carelessness, negligence, or other instance of fault by VA in performing the coronary bypass surgery, and concluded that the vocal cord damage was not a foreseeable complication of the procedure.
- Claimed conditions
- vocal cord damage
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 4, 2020
- Citation
- 20031169
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20031169.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a throat condition to schedule an appropriate VA compensation examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed throat condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and denied entitlement to higher initial ratings for existing disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypothyroidism, vocal cord damage, dry mouth disability, and dysphagia as the evidence did not show exposure to herbicide agents or other presumptive conditions during active duty.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to new evidence received, and requests an addendum opinion regarding his esophageal cancer.
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