The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred at a private facility in February 1999 was denied because the treatment was for a non-service-connected condition. The AOJ will need to obtain additional VA records and review them, including an opinion from the Chief Medical Officer.
The deciding factor: The denial was based on the claim being for a non-service-connected condition despite the medical opinion indicating it was service-connected.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a left thyroid lobectomy, residuals of a fractured left ankle, cough, secondary to trauma to the laryngeal nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2005
- Citation
- 0500091
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,242 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0500091.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal includes claims for service connection for various conditions, and the Board has remanded these issues due to their potential impact on a TDIU claim. The TDIU issue will be reconsidered after addressing the service connection claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records from VA facilities and any outstanding treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a travel board hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the Muskogee RO.
- Denied
The October 1991 rating decision denied the appellant's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, as the evidence did not show he was unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.
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