Section 1151 additional disability

VIII.iv.6.A.1.a · Compensation as if service connected

Section 1151 can pay compensation for qualifying additional disability caused by VA hospital care, treatment or examination, an approved rehabilitation program, or compensated work therapy. It can also apply to death, but survivor processing has its own rules. A qualifying disability is compensated as if service connected; it is not actually service connected. Read section B for the applicable eligibility, causation, and claim-date requirements.

VIII.iv.6.A.1.b · Gather the entire incident record

The evidence may include medical, surgical, hospital clinical records, and nurses’ notes. Upload all associated clinical reports, progress notes, and hospital summaries available in CAPRI or JLV. A short treatment summary may leave out the records needed to understand the incident and the condition before and afterward.

VIII.iv.6.A.1.c · Make the comprehensive facility request

The manual requires comprehensive incident development through CAPRI’s electronic VA Form 10-7131. In the 7131 REQUEST tab, select OTHER/EXAM (REVIEW REMARKS) and use the original block’s prescribed COMMENTS template. Enter the actual patient identifiers, claimed condition, incident date, and treatment period in the VA system; the personal reference tool does not need those identifiers.

The template requests medical records, surgical records, hospital clinical records, nurses’ notes, and other injury documentation for the specified period. CAPRI supports up to four pages of request text and tracks request status. Ordinary CAPRI/JLV downloads do not replace this comprehensive request. Follow the linked records, response, and opinion procedures; submitting a request is not receipt of the evidence.

VIII.iv.6.A.1.d · Quality-assurance reports have a separate request rule

Request quality-assurance investigative reports only when the claimant identifies them as necessary evidence, meets the stated record-identification requirements, and supplies enough information to locate them. Do not automatically request every quality-assurance report in every 1151 case.

If VHA denies access for a reason other than the records no longer being available, request OGC review using the linked OGC procedure. An OGC access review is not appropriate when the records are no longer available. Keep that distinction separate from the ordinary clinical-record request, and apply the relevant effort and notice rules to missing evidence.