Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Malpractice Attorneys

You can see all of our Veterans Administration lawsuits on our case results page. We also have managed to get results all across the United States. Above are some case results our VA medical malpractice lawyers have gotten against the Department of Veterans Affairs specifically.

Iraq War Veteran

A young combat veteran of the Iraq war was 27 years old when he called the Dallas VA appointment line to request an appointment due to back pain. The next evening, he began experiencing urinary incontinence at home. He woke from a nap having wet himself. 

He presented to the Dallas VA complaining of lumbar back pain, decreased muscle strength and numbness of the lower extremities, bladder dysfunction, lower extremity radicular pain, and difficulty walking. He was seen by a physician’s assistant. A future lumbar MRI was ordered (with no time or date specified) and he was discharged home.

With no improvement and dissatisfied with his treatment at the VA, he presented to a private hospital in Dallas where a CT of the lumbar spine revealed an extruded disc with a free-floating fragment. The diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome was made and he was transferred for emergency surgery, but it was too late.

At the age of 27, this veteran faces the rest of his life as a paraplegic suffering from permanent cauda equina syndrome. Because the Dallas VA failed to diagnose his cauda equina syndrome and perform surgery within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, he suffered permanent neurologic damage. He is a paraplegic and suffers from bowel, bladder, and erectile dysfunction. 

He must use crutches or is confined to a wheelchair. He suffers daily pain and numbness. All of these damages were preventable if the VA timely diagnosed and treated his cauda equina syndrome. The VA settled his case pre-suit for $800,000.

Vietnam War Veteran

A veteran of the Vietnam War suffered a similar fate following back surgery at the West Los Angeles VA. The veteran underwent a L4-5 and L5-S1 laminectomy. Before surgery, he suffered back pain but did not have problems with bowel function, urination, or sexual function. He did not have difficulty walking.

The day after surgery, the veteran complained to the nurse of numbness in the scrotum, unable to feel sensation, and dull sensation in his right leg. The symptoms persisted and worsened. Soon he was numb from his waist down, incontinent of urine and bowel, and had no feeling in his genital area. He was diagnosed with saddle anesthesia defined as a loss of sensation restricted to the area of the buttocks and perineum.

The post-operative changes he was experiencing are symptoms of cauda equina syndrome, which is an emergency requiring prompt surgical intervention to reduce pressure on the cauda equina nerves. The neurosurgeon was informed of the veteran’s symptoms, but no imaging studies, further examination, or action of any kind was taken. 

When his doctors finally took him back to surgery two weeks later, it was too late. He now suffers from urinary and bowel incontinence, loss of sexual function, paresthesia lateral and posterior aspects of both legs, and pedal and lower extremity edema. He was told that the symptoms have been present for so long that the damage was permanent. His case was settled before trial for $800,000.

It is extremely time-consuming and expensive to pursue a complex military case, but our firm can skillfully guide you through the litigation process. Contact our attorneys today to schedule a consultation.