The Board denied reimbursement of unauthorized private medical expenses because the treatment was not rendered in a medical emergency and VA facilities were feasibly available.
The deciding factor: The treatment was not for a medical emergency that would have been hazardous to life or health if delayed, and VA facilities were available but not used beforehand.
- Claimed conditions
- hair loss, hot flashes/night sweats, gynecological disability, gastrointestinal disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2002
- Citation
- 0214964
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0214964.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hair loss and high cholesterol were denied as they are not considered disabilities for VA compensation purposes.,The Veteran's left arm condition was remanded due to inadequate examination, requiring a new evaluation.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a gastrointestinal disability due to procedural issues and will consider any additional evidence provided by the RO.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will consider whether the Veteran's gastrointestinal disability is related to his service or service-connected PTSD.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for gastrointestinal disability, left foot disability, and right foot disability due to deficiencies in the VA medical opinions provided. The appellant's lay statements will be considered along with the existing evidence.
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