The Board has determined that the veteran's treatment at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center from May 16, 2003 to May 22, 2003 was for an emergent condition and a VA facility was not feasibly available, thus allowing reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's treatment was for symptoms perceived as so serious (including severe pain) that immediate medical attention was required to avoid serious impairment, and a VA facility was not available.
- Claimed conditions
- Aortic dissection
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 9, 2006
- Citation
- 0634836
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 0634836.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The DIC claim is denied as the Veteran did not meet any criteria for the grant of DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318. The cause of death is remanded to determine its etiology.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the appellant's emergency medical services provided from March 18, 2004 to April 18, 2004 were reasonable and necessary under the Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act. The veteran was found to have a condition of such severity (aortic dissection) that delay in seeking immediate medical attention would have been hazardous to his life or health.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to aortic dissection and cardiovascular disease, as there was no evidence linking these conditions to service. The appellant's claim for DEA benefits under Chapter 35 was also denied.
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