The veteran's unauthorized private medical expenses incurred from July 17 to July 21, 2003 at St. Luke's Hospital are granted as the treatment was for a non-service-connected disability and met all criteria under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1725.
The deciding factor: The veteran received emergency medical care due to suicidal ideation and depression, meeting the standard of an 'emergency' condition requiring immediate attention. The VA facility was not feasibly available, and the treatment provided did not meet the criteria for reimbursement under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1725.
- Claimed conditions
- Depression with suicidal features, Polysubstance abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2007
- Citation
- 0714961
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 0714961.
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 Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to readjudicate the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and polysubstance abuse. The case is being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to a failure to properly notify the Veteran of his scheduled VA examination and incomplete private treatment records. The Board finds that good cause has been shown for the Veteran's absence from the scheduled examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, due to a lack of credible and probative evidence demonstrating that the claimed in-service stressful events occurred or were related to his current psychiatric disorders.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is related to his active-duty service in Panama. The Board finds the evidence supports the claim for service connection.
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