The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain incurred on December 5, 2004 at Bon Secours Venice Hospital were denied as he did not meet the criteria for reimbursement under VA regulations.
The deciding factor: The veteran was not service-connected for any condition that would qualify him for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses. Additionally, no VA facility was feasibly available and an attempt to use them beforehand or obtain prior authorization would have been reasonable, sound, wise, or practicable.
- Claimed conditions
- vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2006
- Citation
- 0635502
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 271 · Granted: 23% (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 0635502.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination reports and internal inconsistencies in the previous VA examinations. The Veteran's gastrointestinal symptoms, including IBS, constipation, diarrhea, and hemorrhoids, need further evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current respiratory disability other than sleep apnea. The claims for abdominal pain, type I diabetes, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and an immune disorder are remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and abdominal pain as there is no current diagnosed disability of IBS or functional impairment due to abdominal or constipation symptoms.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for diarrhea, and the Board dismissed the appeal as a result.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.