The Board has determined that the case must be remanded to the VAMC for additional evidentiary development, including a medical opinion on whether VA facilities were 'feasibly available' given the nature of the veteran's injuries and travel distances.
The deciding factor: The decision by the VAMC only addressed one precondition for reimbursement but lacked adequate reasons and bases for its conclusion. The Board requires a discussion of both the emergent nature of the injuries and the relative geographic distances necessary to be traveled from the point of injury to the point of VA facilities.
- Claimed conditions
- laceration, hematoma, left zygomatic arch fracture, thickening of the left maxillary sinus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 7, 2005
- Citation
- 0518499
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 0518499.
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.
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