The veteran's unauthorized private medical expenses incurred at St. Luke's Hospital in March 2002 were denied as the treatment was not related to his service-connected disabilities and no VA or Federal facilities were feasibly available.
The deciding factor: The treatment provided did not involve any of the veteran's service-connected disabilities, nor could it be held to aggravate them. Additionally, there were no VA facilities that were feasible alternatives for the care received at St. Luke's Hospital.
- Claimed conditions
- duodenal ulcer, ptosis of the left eyelid, residuals of an anterior chamber of the intraocular lens of the left eye
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- March 25, 2004
- Citation
- 0407832
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 0407832.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted a rating of 60 percent from January 27, 2016 to July 7, 2022 for the Veteran's duodenal ulcer, duodenitis, gastritis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
- Granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 30 percent, but no higher, for the Veteran's service-connected gastritis and duodenal ulcer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for degenerative intervertebral disc and duodenal ulcer, as well as the TDIU claim, due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for fibromyalgia, duodenal ulcer, and PTSD with TBI, but granted service connection for left ear hearing loss disability.
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