The veteran's service-connected back disability required emergency treatment at a private hospital on July 21, 1998. The Board found that the medical care was necessary due to an emergent condition and granted payment for the unauthorized expenses.
The deciding factor: The veteran presented with severe back pain associated with his service-connected lumbar spine herniated nucleus pulposus, which required immediate treatment in an emergency room setting.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine herniated nucleus pulposus L1-L2, l3-l4, l4-l5 with right sciatic neuropathy, severe degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- March 6, 2001
- Citation
- 0106555
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 0106555.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral knee, hip, and foot disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone, without considering her non-service-connected impairments, were sufficient for requiring regular aid and attendance. The VA will need to provide a retrospective opinion from an examiner.
- Granted
The Veteran's left knee disorder, including ruptured Baker's cyst, severe degenerative joint disease, effusion with aspirations, and thigh abscess/cellulitis, is considered an additional disability resulting from VA medical treatment in April-May 2013. The Board found that the risk of infection was not a reasonably foreseeable event.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's left knee postoperative medial meniscus residuals did not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, as there was no evidence of moderate instability or limitation of motion. The Veteran is already rated for his degenerative joint disease.
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