The veteran's claims for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses are denied as the VA or Federal facilities were not feasibly available and an attempt to use them beforehand would have been reasonable.
The deciding factor: VA did not provide prior authorization, and the medical care was routine primary care and physical therapy that was rendered in a non-emergency situation.
- Claimed conditions
- gunshot wounds, shell fragment wound to right chest, paralysis of common peroneal nerve, right side, residuals of gunshot wound left hip and thigh with retained foreign bodies, status post left hip replacement, residuals of shell fragment to right thigh and buttock with retained foreign bodies
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 25, 2007
- Citation
- 0715749
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 0715749.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a left hip disability, right hip disability, low back disability, left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus.
- Granted
The Veteran's medical expenses incurred from November 18 to December 17, 2018 at Alabama University Hospital are granted for reimbursement, subject to the limitations on reimbursement set forth in 38 U.S.C. § 1725(c).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claims for various disabilities are being remanded due to the need to obtain her Reserve service records and provide TERA opinions regarding certain conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, status post left hip replacement, and osteoarthritis of the right hip. The Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his active duty service.
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