The veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized private medical expenses incurred at Desert Hospital on December 13, 1997 was denied because the treatment was not deemed emergent and no VA or other Federal facilities were feasibly available.
The deciding factor: The treatment provided by the private hospital was not considered an emergency, which is a requirement for reimbursement under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- chondromalacia patella, left, para-patellar synovitis, chondromalacia patella, right
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2000
- Citation
- 0024746
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 0024746.
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 claims for increased ratings for her service-connected right and left knee disabilities, as well as her claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical services. The case is remanded to obtain additional evidence and provide proper notification under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and severity of the veteran's service-connected chondromalacia patella, right and left. The RO should readjudicate the claim with consideration of DeLuca criteria and Office of the General Counsel opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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