The Board denied the veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center due to a lack of an express or implied contract between VA and the veteran, as well as the absence of a medical emergency that would have made it hazardous to delay treatment.
The deciding factor: VA did not contract with MHMC for the care provided, and there was no medical emergency warranting unauthorized care at MHMC. The Board found that the veteran could have been safely transferred to another VA facility after being stabilized from an unsuccessful surgery attempt at Lebanon VAMC.
- Claimed conditions
- abdominal aortic aneurysm
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 23, 2001
- Citation
- 0121393
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 0121393.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error by the AOJ.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disability, low back disability, and abdominal aortic aneurysm as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or related to active military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for abdominal aortic aneurysm as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a Level 2 stipend under the VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers due to his inability to self-sustain in the community.
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